Stratford Festival actors visit Michigan to work with students and ...

MEDIA RELEASEStratford Festival actors visit Michiganto work with students and teachers47/13October 22, 2013… Artists from the Stratford Festival arrived in Michigan this weekend as partof the eighth annual Michigan residency. Festival teaching artists will be in the area untilNovember 1, visiting Michigan State University as well as schools in Detroit and environs, EastLansing, Grand Rapids and Port Huron, where they will lead student workshops based onbringing Shakespeare’s plays to life.“The Michigan Residency is one of many educational and enrichment activities we offer to fosterin young people a lifelong love and appreciation of theatre,” says Artistic Director AntoniCimolino. “Our acting company and artisans create magical worlds on our stages every day.Thanks to the generosity of our Michigan members, we are delighted to bring some of that magicto the students and teachers in the Michigan area, as they work with our artists to explore the joyand inspiration that Shakespeare and classical theatre provide.”Workshops will teach the Festival’s philosophy of actively learning Shakespeare as participantsphysically work through a variety of texts in Shakespeare’s canon. A number of topics will beexplored, including theatrical play analysis, voice, English language arts, monologue coaching,aspects of technical theatre and design for the theatre, the cultural relevance of Shakespeare andthe fundamentals of acting.During the first week of the residency, 13 artists will visit elementary and secondary schools inDetroit and environs, East Lansing, Grand Rapids and Port Huron. At the end of the week, aTeaching Shakespeare workshop for high school teachers will be held at the University ofMichigan Detroit Centre. During the second week, the artists will be working with high schoolstudents in the Student Immersion Project at the Wharton Center and with classes at MichiganState University. Workshops will also be held at All The World’s A Stage Acting Studio in thenearby village of Romeo, MI.

Led by Stratford Festival Resident Teaching Artist Edward Daranyi, this year’s group ofparticipating artists are:Graham AbbeySkye BrandonMichelle GirouxBruce GodfreeCarmen GrantAlana HawleyBrad HodderJacob JamesRuby JoyTamara KutcheranAnthony MalarkyE.B. SmithDorcas SowumniParticipating Schools:Detroit and areaDetroit School of ArtsMarian High SchoolMarine City High SchoolInternational Academy of Bloomfield HillsWillow Wood Public SchoolEast Lansing and areaEverett High SchoolChippewa Middle SchoolDansville High SchoolGrand Ledge High SchoolLansing Community CollegeMason High SchoolSexton High SchoolWexford Montessori AcademyGrand Rapids and areaAllegan High SchoolAquinas College – Performing Arts CenterByron Center High SchoolGrandville High SchoolForest Hill High SchoolPort HuronPort Huron High SchoolSt. Clair Community College

The Festival extends its gratitude to the Wharton Center of Michigan State University andMichigan Member Executive for their support in making this residency happen, as well as thedonors who established the Michigan Educational Outreach Fund in the endowed holdings of theStratford Festival.-30-