Although Twelfth Night takes its final bow on Sunday, July 3, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival has plans to “play on” all the way to next summer. From October 2016 – September 2017, the Festival will celebrate its 25th year of presenting high-quality professional productions of Shakespeare’s works and year-round education programs for youth ages 5 – 18.
As part of the celebration, the Festival will offer 25 events, performances, and happenings in collaboration with several of Kansas City’s premiere arts organizations, museums and communities.
These presentations—known collectively as the Festival’s “25 for the 25th”—will provide an opportunity for audiences to connect with Shakespeare in new ways and encounter Shakespeare-inspired and derived works in art forms and mediums other than the plays and sonnets.
Keep an eye out as the Festival announces the entire “25 for the 25th” line-up. Current collaborators include: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, JCCC Performing Arts Series, Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Ballet, Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City, Kansas City Museum, Coterie Theatre, and Kansas City Young Audiences.
And don’t forget, Camp Shakespeare is still enrolling for July camps! Find enrollment information and scholarship applications on the website, or ask our Education staff and volunteers when you’re in the park this weekend. Camp Shakespeare celebrates its own anniversary this summer, as it is the 20th year of the Festival’s premiere summer camp.
Want to learn more about “25 for the 25th”? Follow the Festival on Twitter, Facebook , and Instagram as we announce new collaborations and special events. You can sign up for the Festival’s e-newsletters at kcshakes.org to receive regular updates about “25 for the 25th”.
The final performances of Twelfth Night will play Thursday, June 30 thru Sunday, July 3. Gates open at 6 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m. Announcements regarding weather-related delays or cancellations will be posted on the Festival’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
–Alyson Germinder, Festival Dramaturg
