“Presume not that I am the thing I was.”
~ Henry IV, Part 2
“Bite off more than you can chew … then chew it.”
Ms. Julia and Ms. Blaire
2018 has been a year of exponential growth for us! We’ve always asked our young Players to tackle bigger challenges than they ever dreamed possible … and this year, we’re following their lead. In addition to productions of King Lear, Julius Caesar, Timon of Athens, a reverse-gender Taming of the (Shrew) Churl, and a World Premiere of founder Blaire Baron’s original play Illspoken: The People vs. William Shakespeare, we worked with more than 700 youth from Lincoln Heights/East LA, Watts, West Adams, Hollywood, Redondo Beach …. and even Botswana … to help them experience the magic of Shakespeare and theater, through Los Angeles Drama Club.
And in 2019, more challenges await! We will be working with several LAUSD schools, including the entire 4th and 5th grade classes at Griffith-Joyner Elementary in Watts, multiple chapters of Upward Bound House, an amazing organization helping families transition from homelessness … and we’ll be returning to Botswana, and expanding our program to multiple schools in the Okavango Delta. This is all in addition to our productions of Cymbeline, As You Like It, and Henry IV, currently in rehearsal!
While Shakespeare Youth Festival LA, and the close relationships we foster with our extraordinary troupe of young actors will always be the centerpiece of our program, we are no longer a tiny “boutique” organization. Your support can help us strengthen our foundation, and assure that any child in Los Angeles who wants experience this life-changing program is able to do so.
We are so grateful for your generosity and support …