Shakespeare for Kids;

A review of...

Shakespeare for Kids

A Summer Workshop
Conducted by Maret Genzlinger

 Maret  and Shawn Rehearse for Fall 2009 performances

A Review: 

8/22/10- A good time was had by all. It was a pleasant summer evening in the Meadow Amphitheater as the performance was presented at 7pm when the both the stage and the field were in shade.

The audience starts to arrive.

The field was freshly mowed and was very inviting to the audience.

A big thanks has to go to Ray, who works at Tamanend Park, for hauling over and setting up the field with thirty-five chairs,
which were for the most part filled by the time the show started.

The curtains on the stage were set up for the show and you can just about make out our newly painted  walls and door in the centre.

You can see the perimeter in front of the audience which designated the grassy portion of the staging area.

In the background two banners demarcate the entrance to the field.

Folding chairs seem to do a suitable job of providing seating for the audience, but for most events people are asked to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.



The kids did an amazing and wonderful job of remembering their lines and making a fine presentation of " Macbeth". 

The shortened version of the play included a few of the kids serving as narrators, reading from a script, which was done very nicely utilizing one corner of the stage as the consistent aside area.

Here Maret give the kids direction and you can see the script posted behind her on the curtains.  Again we must thank the Park and Paul Radzevich for making copies of the script .

The cast all had costumes and used properties. At one point in the performance there was a rousing sword fight which was executed quite well and added a nice dimension to the performance.

I think it must have been The Witches of Macbeth that cause almost all of our photographs to turn out blurry, so I'm only including the ones that are usable.   

(if anyone has good pictures, send them to me so I can post them)

Here is Assistant Director Justine as one of those witches. (it must have been her doing)

The scenes with the witches were very enjoyable as they all gathered around the cauldron to cast their spells on the audience.

I did video tape the performance using S-VHS equipment, but it will take time for me to make that available on the web. (transfer issues abound).

I must apologize for the terrible photo of the casting call, but the camera was apparently not set correctly and I was busy running the video.  None-the-less this proves they were there and had an audience, who I have to say were delighted by the presentation.

Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park

is pleased to be offering a Youth Program 

 for ages 9 through 13 this summer.

Participants will;

•  meet for two-and-a-half hours on Tues/Wed/Thurs, 
•  and then perform the Thursday night in 

Scenes and Music from Shakespeare

with a company of actors/musicians.

The Shakespearean Kids and their families

are encouraged to join us 

walking in the Southampton Days Parade 

on July 5th

and to 
join in the fall performances 
in September/October. 
AG

NOTE: the program has been consolidated 

into one Session

There are two sessions  is ONE SESSION: 

• Tues/Wed/Thurs – Aug.10-12    (working on Macbeth)

• Tues/Wed/Thurs – Aug. 17-19  (working on "A Midsummer Night's Dream")

• Workshops/Rehearsals – 10am to 12:30pm    

• Performances – Thursdays at 7pm (8/12 and 8/19) 

• Fee to participate is $75 per session. 

• Participants may attend one or both sessions.

• Registration takes place thru the Park Office.  

• Call 215-355-9781 to register.

From the Director, Maret Genzlinger;

An exciting new program is emerging at Tamanend Park this summer. "Shakespeare for Kids" will take advantage of the attractive Meadow Amphitheater at the park, as the setting for adaptations of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Young actors and musicians, ages 9 - 13 will meet for two-and-a-half hours on Tues/Wed/Thurs and then perform Thursday evening with a company of (college-aged) actors & musicians. The first week we will work on "Scenes and Music from Macbeth" and the second week "Scenes and Music from A Midsummer Night's Dream" *.

Lining up college students as assistants for this venture has been a pleasure, and they have been pleased with the anticipated two weeks of employment in  August.

Reading the various adaptations of these two Shakespearean plays, available in bookstores, I have been thinking a lot about the issues inherent in the process of "adapting". As director, do I want every sentence spoken to be straight from Shakespeare? Or do I prefer a modern paraphrasing of the concept? Would I like the play to be ten minutes long, or thirty?

Whether or not to add dancing (the witches in Macbeth, and the fairies in Midsummer) will depend on the particular youngsters who sign up, as will the possibility of performing Elizabethan music. Tamanend Park has set a deadline for registration, which will give me time for contacting the participants and finding out their areas of interest; be it a lead role, a musician, dancer, or small acting role.

Performances will be at 7pm on two consecutive Thursdays (Aug 12 and 19), and in case of rain, the performances will be at the Carriage House at Tamanend. The Park Office will be handling registration, and the Director of Parks and Recreation, Paul Radzevich, has been most helpful in making several locations in the park available to us for rehearsals in the event of rain. But here's hoping for good weather, because the Meadow Amphitheater at Tamanend is, by far, the preferred location for this event! 

Maret's email - maretgenzlinger@yahoo.com

or phone 215-947-8491

 

• We have an education film about the "Life and times of Shakespeare" which we may include and we may include a film showing of  "A Midsummer's Night Dream"  in the carriage house, at a time when the kids can see it, as an enhancement to this program (if we find a sponsor to assist in the costs of this program).  AG

Sponsorship of Educational Programs 

     This program, as well as others, requires sponsorship to succeed.  The registration fee is kept low enough that it is not a burden on the young families who may participate. Therefore the income from registration is not sufficient to cover the actual costs of the program and additional support from businesses and individuals who care about training young people in this subject is sought. 

   If you care to participate by contributing financially to this developing program, you will receive credit in the Shakespearean Journal and in all other publications that are produced by The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park for the following year.

  We do anticipate seeking our not-for-profit status in the future but have been able to do so yet. Because of this we can only offer you credit or advertising for your support and not a tax deduction