Media contact:

Rick Engler, 973-408-3807 or rengler@ShakespeareNJ.org

Andrew Murad , 973-408-3261 or amurad@ShakespeareNJ.org

MADISON, NJ — From July 14 through 19, teachers from points as far away as Hawaii, Greece and Finland, and as near as Somerset, New Jersey will convene at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for an intense and inspiring week of hands-on professional development. Led by The Shakespeare Theatre's acclaimed artists and educators, ShakeFest: Summer Shakespeare Institute for Teachers trains educators to use Shakespeare and the study of classic dramatic literature as powerful tools in the classroom. Participants learn to take their teaching of Shakespeare to a new level with text analysis and performance techniques designed to conquer “Shakes-fear” and help students master the Bard. ShakeFest 's active, performance-oriented approach is ideal for all grade levels, and applicable to all kinds of literature. Enrollment is limited to ensure individualized attention. For more information or to register , call 973-408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@ShakespeareNJ.org .

Participants in this internationally acclaimed program will earn more than 50 hours towards the 100 Professional Development hours required by the State of New Jersey . Tuition is $500, including all workshops, master classes, and materials. The final day of program will be conducted by Susan Biondo-Hench, co-author and co-editor of the popular teaching series Shakespeare Set Free, focusing on assisting teachers in applying the lessons of ShakeFest to their classrooms.

Said former ShakeFest participant Barbara Carr, an eighth-grade teacher honored in 2004 by Princeton University as one of four outstanding New Jersey teachers, “In twelve years of teaching, this was the best professional development program I've ever seen.”

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ShakeFest Goes Global

Among the globally diverse teachers gathering at this year's ShakeFest will be Christa Bachmann-Nikolaides, an English teacher from The German School of Athens (GSA). This is the second year the GSA, one of Greece 's most prestigious private schools, has sent a representative to train at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Their first participant, Lutz Tegge, says of his participation in 2006, “I felt so privileged to have been able to experience this firework of ideas and creativity.” Upon returning to Athens and relaying his experiences, the GSA invited Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte and Associate Director of Education Jamie Brink-Grant to Athens to teach a 3-day “condensed” ShakeFest in April of this year for teachers from the German Schools of the Eastern Mediterranean . Using one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, Macbeth, as their springboard, 10 teachers were led through an abbreviated version of the week-long ShakeFest curriculum.

“It was an amazing, inspiring and eye-opening experience,” said Monte. “Initially, we were a little concerned about how well our techniques would ‘translate' to an audience of teachers of English as a Foreign Language. But the experience only served to reinforce the fact that performance (especially of Shakespeare) is a universal language. In the end, a few of the teachers confessed to us that they had never enjoyed Shakespeare and had been dreading having to participate in our workshop, but that they had ultimately never enjoyed a development workshop more.”

ShakeFest Curriculum

Extensive classroom practice has shown that when students get on their feet and “speak the speech,” they make enormous gains in both enjoyment and understanding of the text. By participating in ShakeFest , both elementary and secondary teachers can acquire a myriad of performance-based techniques to encourage active learning. Even for teachers who have never participated in theatre before, ShakeFest shows how any language arts classroom can tackle the plays as they were meant to be—in performance.

The program alternates roundtable discussions and interactive “on-your-feet” workshops, providing teachers with crucial overviews and information, classroom activities and performance strategies for approaching Shakespeare with their students.

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Susan Biondo-Hench

One of the highlights of this year's ShakeFest will be a workshop by educator Susan Biondo-Hench , co-author and co-editor of the popular teaching series, Shakespeare Set Free. A veteran classroom educator, Biondo-Hench helped establish the Central Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival which recently celebrated its 20th year. She has presented performance-based Shakespeare teaching workshops at many National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conventions. A participant in the first NEH-sponsored Folger Teaching Shakespeare Institute in 1984, she went on to be a Master Teacher at the 1998 institute and will return again for TSI 2008. In 2007, Biondo-Hench was awarded the first ever Shakespeare Steward Award, honoring outstanding contributions to the innovative teaching of Shakespeare in American classrooms, by the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Education Programming at The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ

ShakeFest represents only one of The Shakespeare Theatre's diverse education programs for students of all ages. Other programs offered include: The Summer Professional Training Program , which provides intense training for college-aged actors and aspiring theatre professionals over 11 weeks each summer; Shakespeare LIVE! and The Next Stage Ensemble , two educational touring companies that bring abridged versions of classic plays to classrooms, libraries and other venues throughout the East Coast; the Junior and Senior Corps , two-week summer acting training programs for students aged 11-18; and In-School Residencies , allowing Shakespeare Theatre artists and staff work with students in grades 4-8 over a 3-6 week period to explore a Shakespeare play in all its dimensions, culminating in a thrilling school-wide performance.

For no more than the cost of a regular ticket, Symposium Series performances include the additional treat of a post-play discussion with the cast and artistic staff. For more insight into our productions, Know the Show lectures feature a pre-performance talk that provides background information and an insider's perspective on our shows.

For more information on any of The Shakespeare Theatre's Education Programming, call 973-408-3980 or e-mail JBGrant@ShakespeareNJ.org

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The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey 's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F. M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Drew University , as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals.  American Airlines is the official airline of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Crystal Rock Water is the company's official water provider. Barefoot Wine is the official wine provider.

General Information

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Bonnie J. Monte

MAIN STAGE:   OUTDOOR STAGE:

F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre   The Greek Theatre

36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Rd. )   2 Convent Road (at Convent Station)

Madison , NJ   Morris Township , NJ

(on the campus of Drew University )   (on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth )

TICKETS & INFO: Call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org

ShakeFest – Snapshot

Venue: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue at Lancaster Rd. in Madison
(on the campus of Drew University )

Dates: Monday-Saturday June 14-19