Montana Shakes! brings interactive, original plays featuring scenes from Shakespeare to 60 elementary schools each spring. The plays are accompanied by exciting theatrical workshops which introduce Shakespeare to young people in a way that is based on engagement and not apprehension. Montana Shakes! begins with a 45-minute performance of accessible Shakespeare followed by a 10 to 15 minute question and answer to give the students an opportunity to learn more about the production. Three workshops are offered, designed to fit the age of the students and meet Montana Common Core standards.
This spring, the Montana Shakes! program is proud to present Good in Everything, an original play written by Matt Foss based on Shakespeare's As You Like It. Good in Everything is a comical and high-octane adventure of two best friends - Rosalind and Celia.
Blending Shakespeare’s classic text along with original, contemporary language - Montana Shakes! is known for creating impactful and enjoyable plays for children and adults alike with important lessons not only about language and words, but feelings using some of the most famous plays in the English language.
Now in it's 18th season, the Montana Shakes! program features a 45-minute original, interactive play, a post-show talkback with the actors, followed by various theatrical workshops making for a fun-filled day of engagement for students K-6. This program meets many of Montana’s Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy.
MSIP only charges schools one-third of the actual cost of keeping the program on the road. The other 2/3 is supported through a combination of grants and individual donations. School administrations typically cover the program fee, but sometimes parent-teacher organizations or community groups help to pay for part or all of the program.
If there is a school in your community that you feel would benefit from the Montana Shakes! program, please contact:
Liz Johnson at elizabeth.johnson25@montana.edu for more information.
2008 – All The West’s A Stage
2009 – No Tour
2010 – All The West’s a Stage
2011 – AWS: A Fool’s Gold
2012 – AWS: Good Knight, Sweet Prince, Great King!
2013 – AWS: Brave New Words
2014 – AWS: What Country, Friends?
2015 – AWS: Star Crossed Stagecoach
2016 – AWS: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2017 – AWS: Good Knight, Sweet Prince, Great King!
2018 – AWS: The Tempest
2019 – As You Like It: Books in Brooks
2020 –
2022 – Bottom’s Dream
2023- Hamlet Sandwich
2024 - Goofs, Gaffes, Flubs, & Fumbles
2025 - Faithful Friends
2026 - Good in Everything
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