Bard to Go takes Shakespeare to China

A group of seven Grand Valley State University students and three faculty members are bringing live performances of Shakespeare to students in China during a two-week trip in May.

Bard to Go is an educational outreach program and a part of Grand Valley’s Theatre program’s annual Shakespeare Festival. Last year BTG presented their show to nearly 1,500 students in high schools throughout Michigan. Each year the show selects a theme and combines classical and contemporary interpretations in a 50-minute performance of scenes from a variety of Shakespeare plays.

“In 2005, the program was brought to Kingston, Jamaica, for a week,” said Karen Libman, an associate professor of theatre and the group’s director. “The trip to China will provide another opportunity for Bard to Go to share the beauty of Shakespeare, and for our students to experience performing in an international setting and experience the intercultural aspects of theatrical arts."

Departing on May 9 and returning on May 23, the group will be hosted by East China Normal University, a long-standing partner institution with Grand Valley. They will perform at the Shanghai secondary schools as well as the ECNU campus. The tour is being supported by Grand Valley’s Office of Multicultural Affairs with the Padnos International Center, The Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival, the School of Communications, and the hard work of fundraising by students and donations from the community.

“While in China I expect to absorb as much of their language and culture as possible,” said Pat Kepley, one of the students involved in the production. “I hope that our performances will be fairly well understood and they enjoy the high amount of physical comedy in our production.”