“We are grateful to The Mount for their efforts in making our second-consecutive collaboration with them so seamless and enjoyable,” says Artistic Director Tony Simotes. “I am also very proud of Jon’s beautiful and powerful production of Romeo and Juliet—every element plays just the right chord from his terrific cast, the precision staging, to the clarity of the text. The heart of the Company’s aesthetics, mission and values were developed and took root in those early days at The Mount. We wanted to create a Company that performs as the Elizabethans did—in love with poetry, language, physical prowess and the mysteries of the universe. And we did just that on the grounds of novelist Edith Wharton’s beautiful turn-of-the-century estate. I think this production of Romeo and Juliet will reverberate not only throughout the woods surrounding The Dell, but in our hearts for years to come.”
Now in its 37th performance season and one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in the country, Shakespeare & Company was founded by Tina Packer, who today is still a major presence within the Company (her Julius Caesar runs in the Bernstein Theatre through August 30th, while Simotes’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs in the Playhouse, also through August 30.) In 2000, the Company purchased its current 33-acre home at 70 Kemble Street, one mile from the Mount, where it continues to adhere to its mission, values and forward moving vision.
TICKETS: Pricing for adults is $ 20 while student/child admission is $ 10. To view a complete schedule, receive a brochure, or inquire about discounts, please call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353 or visit http://www.Shakespeare.org. GROUPS: For customized group visits—which may include artist talkbacks, tours, parties and catered events—contact the Group Sales office at (413) 637-1199, ext. 132. Please note tickets CANNOT be purchased through The Mount’s ticketing office—they can only be purchased through S&Co.’s box office. However, walks-ups are welcome.
TOURS OF THE MOUNT, EDITH WHARTON’S HOME: For general inquires and tours visit: http://www.edithwharton.org or call (413) 551-5111. For Media inquiries for The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home contact: Rebecka McDougall rmcdougall@edithwharton.org.
THE MOUNT, EDITH WHARTON’S HOME
The Mount is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton. We engage a diverse audience by providing context to Wharton’s life and achievements through our educational and public programs and the conservation and preservation of her historic estate and gardens.
Each year, The Mount is host to over 40,000 visitors. Daily tours of the property are offered May through October, with special events throughout the year. Annual summer programming includes a joint exhibit with Sculpture Now, performances, Wharton on Wednesdays, Music After Hours, and the celebrated Monday Lecture Series. Exhibitions explore themes from Wharton’s life and work. For more information, please visit: EdithWharton.org.
THE EDUCATION PROGRAM
Guided by Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman and Associate Director of Education Jenna Ware, the Company’s award-winning Education Program is one of the most extensive theatre-in-education programs in the Northeast. The Education Program since its inception in 1978 has reached over a million students with innovative performances, workshops, and residencies including The Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, Shakespeare & Young Company, Riotous Youth, Shakespeare in the Courts (with the Berkshire Juvenile Court), Shakespeare in our Schools: Workshops for Teachers and Actors, and the National Institute on Teaching Shakespeare, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For the eleventh consecutive year, the Northeast Regional Tour was generously supported by a $ 25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts through Arts Midwest, Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, administrated by NEA’s national program.
The Education program received the Commonwealth Award, the highest award for excellence in the arts, sciences and humanities given by the state of Massachusetts, and was also the subject of the two-year study by Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (Project Zero), which recommended national replication.
Most recently recognized by a 2013 Massachusetts House of Representatives Resolution, the Education program has been identified by the Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities as a Champion of Change. The Education Program is supported in part by grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council and it’s Youth Reach Initiative, the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, Deborah and Bill Ryan, Jeffrey Konowitch and Wendy Laurin, Berkshire Life Insurance Co., A Guardian Corporation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, The Charles Hall Foundation, The Red Lion Inn, Country Curtains, Berkshire Bank, the Cultural Councils of Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, New Marlboro, North Andover, Pittsfield, Sheffield, Springfield, Stockbridge and Richmond, and a coalition of businesses, families and individuals.
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS’ mission is to enrich our nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country. Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is an independent agency of the federal government and is the largest annual funder of the arts. Since its founding, it has awarded more than 120,000 grants in all 50 states and the six U.S. jurisdictions.
ARTS MIDWEST administers the NEA’s Shakespeare for a New Generation initiative. Arts Midwest, based in Minneapolis, connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, enabling individuals and families throughout America’s heartland to share in and to enjoy the arts and cultures of the Midwest and the world.
AT A GLANCE: PRODUCTION: Romeo and Juliet LOCATION: The Dell at The Mount, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA PLAYWRIGHT: William Shakespeare DIRECTOR: Jonathan Croy CAST: Caroline Calkins, Marcus Kearns, Luke Reed, Kaileela Hobby, Gregory Boover and Conor Moroney. STAGE MANAGER: Jessica Zivny COSTUME DESIGNER: Mary Readinger SET DESIGNER: Jonathan Croy SOUND DESIGNER: Jonathan Croy FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER: Jonathan Croy
ROMEO AND JULIET JULY 17 – AUGUST 23 The Dell at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox Performance Dates: Thursday, July 17, 2014 6:00 PRESS OPENING Saturday, July 19, 2014 12:30 Tuesday, July 22, 2014 6:00 Thursday, July 24, 2014 6:00 Saturday, July 26, 2014 12:30 Tuesday, July 29, 2014 6:00 Thursday, July 31, 2014 6:00 Saturday, August 2, 2014 12:300 Tuesday, August 5, 2014 6:00 Thursday, August 7, 2014 6:00 Saturday, August 9, 2014 12:30 Tuesday, August 12, 2014 6:00 Thursday, August 14, 2014 6:00 Saturday, August 16, 2014 12:30 Tuesday, August 19, 2014 6:00 Thursday, August 21, 2014 6:00 Saturday, August 23, 2014 12:30 CLOSE