The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre announced that the second annual Arkansas Shakespeare Festival will present three productions over three weekends in June at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
AST also is introducing a membership campaign to support the Festival, which will include Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo and Juliet,” the perennial musical favorite “The Sound of Music,” and Shakespeare’s comedic and enchanting final play, “The Tempest.”
“We’re very excited about these three shows,” said AST producing artistic director Matt Chiorini. “We hope every year to be able to offer something for everyone, and between these three shows, we’ve got it. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will marry a very traditional aesthetic with a vital and vibrant new staging to breathe new life into a familiar classic. ‘The Sound of Music’ will have everything people love about the revered musical, plus a few new ideas to keep it fresh. ‘The Tempest’ is the one I’m most excited about, as we’re going to really get our hands dirty with it, using only a handful of actors, a bare stage, and a lot of imagination.”
The 2008 Festival will incorporate several new features, including talk-backs with actors and backstage tours after each performance, discounted subscriptions at all ticket levels (available later in the spring), an additional weekend of shows, an in-school Shakespeare tour during the spring, family nights geared toward young children, and a series of “Shakespeare’s Birthday Parties” to be held throughout Arkansas in April to raise awareness of the Festival.AST’s new membership structure will be separate from its subscription series. Starting at only $50, these tax-deductible donations come with many perks for festival-goers and supporters of this one-of-a-kind festival.
“Ticket sales make up less than half of our income, and in order for this festival to continue to grow and contribute to our community, we need support,” Chiorini said. “These donations are crucial to our artistic and educational efforts, and go a long way toward helping us achieve our twin goals of excellence and accessibility.”
Membership information is available at www.arkshakes.com, or donors can simply send their tax-deductible contributions to: Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, 900 Oak St., Conway, AR 72032. Those already donating to the UCA Foundation can simply designate a portion of their donation to be allocated to the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Fund.
The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, based at UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, produces the only professional Shakespeare Festival in Arkansas.
Theater patrons purchased almost 3,000 tickets to attend the inaugural Arkansas Shakespeare Festival last June at UCA.
Since AST was launched in December 2006, it has raised approximately $134,000, with significant contributions from UCA and the Conway Advertising and Promotions Commission. AST is already well on its way to meet its even loftier goals for 2008, having already raised 60 percent of its total fundraising goal of $175,000 for the 2008 Festival.
