Spencertown Academy Arts Center presents “Shakespeare @ the Academy,” an encounter with the Bard for youth ages 14 to 17. Meeting July 1 through July 30 on weekdays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, this drama program will be a dive into Shakespeare’s festive play, Twelfth Night. Rehearsals that are heavy on text work may be held on Zoom, others will take place in person (all pandemic protocols in practice) outdoors on the Academy grounds or in the neighboring Town Park. A final performance will be presented (time and place TBA). Tuition is $300 (limited scholarships available) and the workshop is limited to 15 participants. To register, please see www.spencertownacademy.org.
“The project will be directed by Zoe Wohlfeld, a gifted, energetic, and experienced teaching artist,” says Jill Kalotay, Academy board member and co-chair of the Festival of Books. “No experience with Shakespeare or acting is necessary to join this program—just come with a willingness to play and a desire to conspire with others in telling this spirited tale!”
Wohlfeld adds, “With an emphasis on imagination and play, we will explore Shakespeare’s heightened language, stakes and emotions through text work, games, movement, and our own unique voices. The program will culminate with an abridged production that focuses on telling the arch of the story. I’m excited to figure out the theatricality in minimal props, sets, and costumes.” She graduated from Bard College in 2018 with a B.A. in Theater and Performance and has 12 years of Shakespeare experience as a student, actor, and teacher, including training at the National Theater Institute and performing in Hamlet and The Servant of Two Masters at Shakespeare & Company.
Founded in 1972, Spencertown Academy Arts Center is a cultural center and community resource serving Columbia County, the Berkshires, and the Capital region. Housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse, the Academy is located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, New York. For more information, please contact info@spencertownacademy.org.
