Thiel’s fourth annual Shakespeare Festival gives area scholastic performers chance to shine

Posted December 27, 2016 Print

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College will host its fourth annual high school Shakespeare Festival on Thursday, Jan. 26 at the William A. Robinson Theater.

High school students from across the region will gather at the event to highlight the talents and skills of their peers through the sharing of William Shakespeare’s work in performance. Featuring monologues, small scenes and ensemble pieces, this day-long festival culminates in an awards ceremony and feedback from the College’s panel of theater respondents. Assistant Professor of Performing Arts and Director of Theatre at Thiel College Pete Rydberg, Ph.D., is organizing the event and will lead a short warm-up at the start the day’s activities.

“The Shakespeare Festival provides an opportunity for young thespians to strut their stuff in the spirit of celebration and camaraderie,” Rydberg said. “High School performers will receive feedback and awards from a panel of experts drawn from the Thiel community, while Thiel College students will work alongside our campus guests as mentors in acting exercises and stage combat training. The festival is a fantastic way to kick off each new year at the theater!”

Students will present their work during the morning, break for lunch and then a performance block followed by workshops in the afternoon. The day’s events are free and open to the public. Audience members may come and go throughout the day, but stage access is limited to the breaks between individual high school performances.

High school performances can be from any of Shakespeare’s works and must be under 25 minutes long. The celebration of peer work will not be treated as a competition. However, awards will be given to recognize exceptional work.

For a more information, contact Rydberg at 724-589-2029.