Classic Stage Company celebrates a highly successful seventh season of our nationally-recognized Education and Outreach Initiative: THE YOUNG COMPANY! Over 2400 NYC students participated in workshops, attended performances of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at our Off-Broadway theater, and were mentored by a young and diverse company of actors.
This year THE YOUNG COMPANY welcomed to its ranks a dedicated crew of high school interns who served as “YC Insiders” -student correspondents who went behind the scenes to observe rehearsals, interview cast and crew members, and gather feedback from their peers.
“I was not a big fan of Shakespeare when I was first introduced to his works. I was completely bored,” reflects Mercedes, a YC Insider. “But during the workshops, we were able to put it into our own words – it made my understanding so much easier. Everyone can relate to Shakespeare in some way.” Her fellow YC Insider, Xhesica, agrees: “It’s fun to see the kinds of dilemmas people were in back in the day, and relate it to something you know about today.”
The students weren’t the only ones relating their personal experiences to Shakespeare. “I learned things about playing Don John from some of the kids playing Don John,” says Dave, the actor who played this role, speaking about his work as a teaching artist. “These kids are so smart and so ahead of their time, and I’m a better actor and a better person for having worked with them.”
Looking ahead, we hope to expand upon our YC Insider program to include the voices of even more students and to incorporate their ideas into our entire season’s programming. Many thanks to Variety for their support in these efforts!