Austin Shakespeare Explained

Austin Shakspeare
Location:	Austin, Texas
Artisticdirector:	Ann Ciccolella (since 2007)

Austin Shakespeare is a professional, classical theater production and education company located in Austin, Texas, USA. Multiple annual productions are cast by audition from a mix of Actor's Equity^[1] or Non-Equity, visiting or local, and company alumni or new actors. Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to audition.^[2] Austin Shakespeare is a Resident Company of the Long Center for the Performing Arts. In 2015, a Stephen Sondheim musical in concert kicked off the new season.

Austin Shakespeare is passionate about providing theater education for all ages. The Shakespeare 20/20 program exposes students to viewing and performing the Bard's works in the classroom under the guidance of professional actors.^[3] Shakespeare Idol is an annual monologue and scene performance by area secondary students before a live audience.^[4] It includes a workshop and evaluations by a panel of professional judges. Young Shakespeare, a teen company, annually presents Shakespeare plays at a recreation of The Globe Theater with the assistance of professional direction and creative team.^[5] Shakespeare Aloud, a weekly reading group involves interested adults in hearing and reading the verse of Shakespeare.

Austin Shakespeare, founded in 1984, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a legal name of Austin Shakespeare Festival Company, Inc.^[6] Its programs are primarily funded by ticket sales, donations, and grants or other support from the likes of the City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, and Texas Commission on the Arts.^{[7] [8]} Productions and operations of the company are supported by a large group of volunteers.

Selected productions

• Macbeth by William Shakespeare (2016)^[9]
• Medea by Euripides (2016)
• A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (2015)
• Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim (2015 - staged concert)^[10]
• The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (2015)
• The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard (2015)
• Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand (2014)
• As You Like It by William Shakespeare (2014)^[11]
• Othello by William Shakespeare (2014)
• The Belle of Amherst by William Luce (2013)
• Anthem by Jeff Britting based on the novel by Ayn Rand (2013 - performed at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York, New York)
• Design for Living by Noël Coward (2013)
• Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (2013)
• Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, adapted by Peter Oswald (2010)
• An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde (2009)
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (2009)
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare (2008 - first production at The Long Center for the Performing Arts)^[12]
• Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (2008)

^[13]

Selected awards

• 2011-2012 Austin Critics' Table Award for Dramatic Production (Arcadia)^[14]
• 2004-2005 B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Production of a Comedy (The Dog in the Manger)^[15]

Selected venues

• Rollins Studio Theatre at The Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin, Texas
• Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater in Zilker Park, Austin, Texas
• Richard Garriott de Cayeux's Curtain Theater on Lake Austin, Austin, Texas

External links

• • Austin Shakespeare podcasts

Notes and References

1. Web site: Area Liaisons - Actors' Equity . Actors Equity . Actors’ Equity Association . 28 April 2016 . ASEQ . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160312002243/http://www.actorsequity.org/arealiaisons/arealiaison.asp?liaisonCode=31 . 12 March 2016 .
2. Web site: Austin Shakespeare 15/16 Season - EPA (2 Days). Playbill. Playbill, Inc.. 28 April 2016. ASAP.
3. Web site: EDUCATION AND OUTREACH: STUDENTS. Austin Shakespeare. 28 April 2016. EOSAS.
4. Web site: Shakespeare Idol and more. The Shakespeare Standard. 28 April 2016. SISS. en-US. 13 February 2014.
5. Web site: BWW News Desk. BWW News. Austin Shakespeare's Teen Company to Present A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, 6/18-28. BroadwayWorld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. 28 April 2016. BWYS.
6. Web site: Organization Report. GuideStar. 28 April 2016. ASGS.
7. Web site: Austin Shakespeare. Austin Creative Alliance. 28 April 2016. ACAAS. https://web.archive.org/web/20160502224752/http://austincreativealliance.roundtablelive.org/page-1474327. 2016-05-02. dead.
8. Web site: ORGANIZATION DETAIL. NowPlayingAustin. Austin Creative Alliance. 28 April 2016. NPAO.
9. Web site: Macbeth. NowPlayingAustin.com. Austin Creative Alliance. 28 April 2016. ACAM.
10. Web site: Austin Shakespeare presents Sunday in the Park with George. CultureMap Austin. CultureMap LLC. 28 April 2016. CMSP.
11. Web site: Gollub. Heidi. Free Shakespeare in Zilker Park: As You Like It - Free Fun in Austin. Free Fun in Austin. 28 April 2016. FFIA. en-US. 22 April 2014.
12. Web site: Kenah. Hannah. Delicious Collisions. The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp. 28 April 2016. DCAC. 12 September 2008.
13. Web site: Meigs. Michael. Productions by Austin Shakespeare CTX Live Theatre. CTX Live Theatre. 28 April 2016. CTXP.
14. Web site: Faires. Robert. 2012 Austin Critics Table Awards. The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp.. 28 April 2016. ACTA. 8 June 2012.
15. Web site: 2004-2005 Season B. Iden Payne Awards Council. B. Iden Payne Awards Council. 28 April 2016. BIPAC. https://web.archive.org/web/20160430043212/http://www.bidenpayneawards.com/about/past-awards/2004-2005-season/. 2016-04-30. dead.