We are the largest in-school arts education provider in the Commonwealth, serving 83 counties and 257 schools last year alone.
We provide interactive performances, touring productions, arts workshops and residencies, and professional development for educators. Browse our performance options below, or download our brochure for more information.
To book an education performance for the 2018-19 season, please email education@kyshakespeare.com or call us at 502-574-9900.
Questions? Call 502-574-9900 or email us.
Ask us about our multi-show and Title 1 Discounts
Study Guides with pre- and post-show activities available for all workshops.
Teacher Arts Grants (TAG) and 5X5 funding options available through the Fund for the Arts.
Let our talented performers come to you! Perfect for school assemblies of up to 250 students, our educational performances are 50-90 minutes long and include in-depth guided discussions that touch on key topics from Kentucky schools curriculum. Along with our Shakespeare performances, we also offer Living History performances that bring history to life for students.
“Something wicked this way comes” in Shakespeare’s tragedy of a couple broken by their unchecked ambition and quest for power. Performed with six actors in 90 minutes. A short talkback, included in the runtime, provides students the opportunity to analyze and interpret the play.
*Interactive, post-production workshops are also available upon request for a small additional fee.
Two of Shakespeare’s strongest characters square off in a battle of wits as the scheming Petruchio faces the headstrong Kate. Shakespeare’s classic comedy highlights relationship dynamics, self-respect, character and identifying bullying behavior alongside healthier alternatives.
Kentucky Shakespeare actors perform three selections from Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth and Henry IV, part II—a comedy, tragedy and history—with active discussion with the audience between each scene, focusing on content, structure, relationships, comprehension, language and theme.
This member of our “Living History” series introduces students to Aldridge, the first African American actor to portray Shakespeare’s leading men on stage. The story follows Aldridge’s journey as he breaks from the confines of racism in the 1800s, using his stage to speak out against slavery and racial injustice.
*Note: This performance contains multimedia elements. Projection capabilities required.
Using primary source documents, our professional actors bring key events from United States history to life, with focus on our rights and responsibilities as a democratic society today. We the People asks students to reflect on America’s formation, ask questions and consider civic action in their own communities.
Content/Events/Eras Covered: Road to Revolutionary Ware, Formation of a New Government, Westward Expansion, Social Reforms, Abolition, Civil War, Amendments 13-15, Progressive Movement, WWII, The Red Scare, Civil Rights Movement, Social Media and First Amendment Rights
Journey through time with our actors as they uncover the impressive history of Kentucky, using primary source documents to discover a state rich with oral traditions, diverse geography and vital involvement in making our nation great.
Content/Events/Eras Covered: Pre-historic Periods, The Great Dying, The Men & Women of Frontier KY, Daniel Boone, Lewis & Clark and York, Abraham Lincoln, The Civil War, The Hatfields & McCoys, Stephen Foster, and Kentucky State Facts
Our 50-minute Interactive Performances offer more hands-on educational opportunities for classes of up to 30 students. Our artist educators lead the students through performing for their peers, and offer a fun introduction to story and drama elements, creative problem solving, and critical thinking. All of our Residencies can also serve as one hour workshops, so be sure to check those out the Residencies below!
Shakespeare and primary students become the best of buddies in this one-hour interactive workshop. Our Artist Educator spins the story of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew while guiding the students through acting out the play. Students explore character, dialogue, theme and technical elements of theatre to build teamwork skills, vocabulary, self-confidence and a growing love of Shakespeare.
This program allows for our Artist Educators to introduce drama through familiar fairy tales from all across the globe – Denmark, Italy, Russia, France, and Greece just to name a few!
Students will have the opportunity to learn the history behind these famous tales prior to each performance, and the class will conclude with an interactive discussion of the morals being portrayed. Perfect for younger students, this program teaches the importance of hard work, honesty, self-confidence and much more!
Our in-school and after-school workshops and extended residencies provided targeted experiental learning built to meet your needs. Choose from any of the workshops below, or have us design one specifically for you. All workshops include a Performance, Critical Thinking/Creative Problem Solving, and Full Interactivity and Engagement. Prices vary number of sessions and duration.
Our signature workshop will use Shakespeare as a base to introduce drama, the rehearsal process, and teamwork to students. Students create their own uniquely staged, student-driven performance piece.
Follow the history of acting while the fundamentals of the craft through group improvisational exercises led by our Artist Educator.
Students explore Shakespeare’s sonnets and verse alongside contemporary music to discover rhythm, poetry, and language.
Learn and perform the social dances of Shakespeare’s Day including the Pavanne, Gathering Peascods, and more!
Students learn how to safely perform a staged fight using hand-to-hand combat and sword play.
Our trained Artist Educator leads group activities focusing on affirmation, communication, cooperation, and strategies to deal positively with conflict.
Student groups analyze a Shakespearean scene and employ the real world applications of mathematical concepts including fractions, ratios, and measurement conversions to design a 2-D rendering or a 3-D model for different stage types.
Minimum of 5 sessions
Our in-school and after-school workshops and extended residencies provided targeted experiental learning built to meet your needs. Choose from any of the workshops below, or have us design one specifically for you. All workshops include a Performance, Critical Thinking/Creative Problem Solving, and Full Interactivity and Engagement. Prices vary number of sessions and duration.
Our Page to the Stage workshop provides strategies for educators to bring the creative process, the performing arts, Shakespeare and his works to the classroom.
We work with your school’s coordinator to create an individually designed professional development experience that addresses the needs of your education team. Topics include how to integrate the arts across the curriculum using the Common Core, how to use close reading and how to approach, examine and introduce Shakespeare’s language to students.
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Professional Development brings arts, theatre and creativity to the workplace. Workshops can be customized to address specific needs of teachers or the organization.
Focuses may include but are not limited to:
“Great performance! The students loved it and learned so much about Shakespeare and elements of a dramatic performance!” – Teacher, Conway Middle School
Kentucky Shakespeare’s educational programs are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Shakespeare in American Communities.
To book a performance or workshop, contact Hannah Pruitt at (502) 574-9900 or hannah@kyshakespeare.com.
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