Shakespeare Walla Walla provides professional Shakespearian theatre and youth theatre education to Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon residents and visitors. Each year, Shakespeare Walla Walla presents approachable and entertaining productions of Shakespeare’s plays that are family friendly, enjoyable, and accessible. This year, the festival format opens its sixth summer season and features “The Merchant of Venice” performed in the Blackfriars-inspired Gesa Power House Theatre in Walla Walla. For the next twelve months, Shakespeare Walla Walla will present no less than five more plays, four free presentations (at least one in Spanish), and more than a dozen educational workshops for children, elementary through high school. The education component of Shakespeare Walla Walla continues to grow both in geographic reach and numbers of participants, and its scope ranges from art, drama, and theatre production to dance, language arts, and music.
This year youth education programming will increase dramatically in scope and reach, with summer theatre camps “on the road” to teach children around the themes discussed in the festival production of “The Merchant of Venice,” namely, racism and classism. Qualified volunteers will travel to areas where they can engage young people is the most underserved areas of the region with fun and interactive exercises designed to explore our common humanity.
These youth programs not only develop literary and performance-based skills, but also nurture skills that serve youth throughout their lives, including listening and responding, public speaking, self-presentation, diction and enunciation, relaxation techniques, physical and emotional self-assessment, self-discipline, and teamwork. Shakespeare can be used to address moral questions and philosophical concepts. Whether it is team building, cultural enrichment, philosophical insights into the human condition or just plain fun, Shakespeare provides an excellent addition to a young person’s education.
Watch for a schedule of our upcoming educational opportunities.