Schools

For 19 years, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has brought the works of William Shakespeare into classrooms and communities.

This year, we will continue to build on our success of the 2011-2012 school year, when we reached over 40,000 students and teachers throughout the Hudson Valley and tri-state area.

HVSF Education programs make Shakespearean theater come alive for students and teachers. We offer a choice of four school programs:

Access-Shakespeare

Our touring production and an exploratory session between students and actors.

Our 2013 touring production will be Othello. Join our professional actors as they bring this dynamic, fully-staged production to your school.

This 90-minute production is suitable for students in the sixth grade and beyond. After the play, join our cast of professional actors in a group "talkback" as the actors discuss the artistic process, themes and characters in the play.

We encourage students to voice their personal points of view and to ask questions about the play. Schools that participate will receive a comprehensive study guide to the play.

You can view and print Access-Shakespeare program details, here.

You can also download a Program Request form for your school.

HVSF's production is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Free Will

A five-day exploratory residency in the plays of Shakespeare.

Professional actors, directors and playwrights bring their artistic experience and skill into your classroom and immerse students in Shakespeare’s plays for a minimum of five days.

Our teaching artists help students develop a personal connection to the plays of Shakespeare. Through process and ensemble theater games that focus on language, body expression and character exploration, we offer each student the chance to interact with Shakespeare’s text and themes on a daily basis.

You can view and print Free Will Program details, here.

You can also download a Program Request Form for your school.

HVSF's program is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

EnAct!

Theater arts, demystified.

Professional actors, directors, playwrights and master teachers bring their talent and teaching expertise to the classroom. Our teaching artists guide students’ exploration of the components that make up the study of theater arts.

EnAct offers teachers and students the chance to work directly with our teaching artists in a series of master classes, which include stage combat, text analysis, acting, directing, and playwriting.

You can view and print EnAct Program details, here.

You can also download a Program Request form for your school.

Students on Stage

Explore and connect with Shakespeare’s words in a one-day workshop.

Professional actors, directors and playwrights bring their artistic experience and skill into your classroom for a one-day Shakespeare workshop. Our teaching artists help students develop a personal connection to Shakespeare’s language. Shared group theater games focus on the relationships and meaning that bring these texts to life.

Students on Stage gives each student the opportunity to interact with Shakespeare’s words in an ensemble-driven atmosphere that takes the edge off of performance anxiety for students.

You can view and print Students on Stage Program details, here.

You can also download a Program Request form for your school.

For more information on any of the Education programs, please email Nora Rosoff, Education Programs Manager, or contact her at the HVSF office at 845-809-5750.