Grand Valley State University's Bard-to-Go has brought scenes from some of Shakespeare's most famous works to thousands of students in Michigan schools. Now the program is headed for Jamaica.
The students began fund-raising for the possible trip last November. Now that the trip is a reality, a second benefit performance of "Lovestruck" is planned for 7:30 p.m. on April 29, at the Louis Armstrong Theatre in the Performing Arts Center on the Allendale campus.
As part of Grand Valley's annual Shakespeare Festival, Bard-to-Go is a 50-minute collage of scenes, chosen from various Shakespearean plays, to engage young audiences with the beauty, relevance and excitement of the Bard. This year's production, "Lovestruck" featured excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet. More than 1,400 area teens saw this production when it toured six area schools last fall.
On May 1, the company of six Grand Valley student actors and a student stage manager, under the direction of director Karen Libman, are taking "Lovestruck" to Kingston, Jamaica. There they will perform in three high schools and twice at the Edna Manley College of Fine & Performing Arts. The week-long trip will give the Grand Valley students the opportunity to experience touring in a foreign country and explore the theatrical universality of Shakespeare with another culture.
The trip is a pilot for possible future international tours. Not only is it the first trip abroad for Bard-to-Go, none of the seven students involved in the production have ever been abroad. The cast includes Kristin Ellison, Ken Phelps, Megan Johnson, Amy Larink, Matthew Bryant and Dustin Mason. Mellissa Slack is the stage manager.
"Lovestruck was created specifically for American secondary school audiences and has a distinctly American flavor," said Libman. "I am anxious to see how that 'translates' to other cultures, and what that means for the students as they create pieces of theatre for performance here and abroad.
For more information contact Karen Libman at (616) 331-3510.
