Theatre for a New Audience’s Shakespeare Fellows’ Project has received a significant Faculty Humanities Workshop grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  Although this is the program’s third year of NEH funding, this year’s grant represents the maximum possible amount the NEH awards in this funding category.  This increased gift allows the program to expand, doubling the number of participants and lead scholars.
The Shakespeare Fellows’ Project is a two-week summer intensive open to New York City Public School English and Drama teachers.  Held at Columbia University, 34 classroom teachers will attend daily academic master classes and hands-on workshops that will teach practical skills for teaching Shakespeare to middle and high school students.  Participants, who are not required to have a background in Shakespeare, receive a $500 stipend, plus meals and subway transportation for the duration of the workshop.
This year’s program will focus on the theme, “The Evolution of Love in Shakespeare” through Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Antony and Cleopatra.  Workshop teachers include professors Julie Crawford (Columbia) and Mario DiGangi (CUNY), as well as other Shakespeare scholars in conjunction with the Theatre’s professional teaching artists.