Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
Encyclopedia
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is a regional, nonprofit theater company that performs at Boscobel
in Garrison, NY. It produces classic works with an economy of style, focusing on script, actors and audience with the Hudson River
and Hudson Highlands as its set and setting. The Wall Street Journal
hails it as, "The most purely enjoyable summer Shakespeare festival in America," while The New York Times
comments, "If anyone wonders about the future of live theater or asks where the audience is, the answer is 'Under that tent."
It is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World by Marcus D. Gregio (Editor
), 2004.
which was held as a fundraiser for Manitoga, the Garrison home of industrial design
er Russell Wright, served as inspiration for the festival. It was produced by Melissa Stern in cooperation with the Twenty-Ninth Street Project, and directed by Terrence O'Brien
.
Some attendees at this performance formed an organizing committee for an ongoing festival. The group grew in size and helped see the organization through applying for non-profit status and incorporation. The festival had its first production in 1988.
The festival now performs at Boscobel, a Hudson River estate in Garrison, New York, and claims 32,000 attendees annually.
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival was the subject of a one hour documentary and two hour film of a performance of Twelfth Night which premiered on the PBS affiliate WNET (Channel 13 in New York City) on September 18, 2008. The program has aired since then on WLIW (Channel 21 on Long Island) and is scheduled for broadcast on a number of PBS affiliates in the region.
through college. These programs include Access-Shakespeare, a fully staged touring production; Shakespeare Students on Stage, and Free Will, an artists-in-residence
program; and the Teaching Shakespeare Summer Institute. In addition, the Festival runs a summer Apprentice Program for a select group of college-age actors who are seriously committed to learning the craft of theater.
Executive Director Maggie Whitlum
Managing Director Abigail Adams
Associate Artistic Director, Director of Education Christopher V. Edwards
by William Shakespeare
June 15 - September 3, 2011
Directed by Terrence O'Brien
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare
June 14 - September 4, 2011
Directed by Kurt Rhoads
Around the World in 80 Days by Mark Brown adapted from the novel by Jules Verne
June 16 - September 2, 2011
Directed by Christopher V. Edwards
Boscobel (Garrison, New York)
Boscobel is an estate overlooking the Hudson River built in the early 19th century by States Dyckman. It is considered an outstanding example of the Federal style of American architecture, augmented by Dyckman's extensive collection of period decorations and furniture...
in Garrison, NY. It produces classic works with an economy of style, focusing on script, actors and audience with the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and Hudson Highlands as its set and setting. The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
hails it as, "The most purely enjoyable summer Shakespeare festival in America," while The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
comments, "If anyone wonders about the future of live theater or asks where the audience is, the answer is 'Under that tent."
It is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World by Marcus D. Gregio (Editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
), 2004.
History
A 1987 performance of A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
which was held as a fundraiser for Manitoga, the Garrison home of industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
er Russell Wright, served as inspiration for the festival. It was produced by Melissa Stern in cooperation with the Twenty-Ninth Street Project, and directed by Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien (director)
Terrence O'Brien is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and received advanced training in acting and directing at American Conservatory Theatre, A.C.T. in San Francisco...
.
Some attendees at this performance formed an organizing committee for an ongoing festival. The group grew in size and helped see the organization through applying for non-profit status and incorporation. The festival had its first production in 1988.
The festival now performs at Boscobel, a Hudson River estate in Garrison, New York, and claims 32,000 attendees annually.
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival was the subject of a one hour documentary and two hour film of a performance of Twelfth Night which premiered on the PBS affiliate WNET (Channel 13 in New York City) on September 18, 2008. The program has aired since then on WLIW (Channel 21 on Long Island) and is scheduled for broadcast on a number of PBS affiliates in the region.
Education Programs
In addition to its summer productions, the Festival sponsors year-round education programs that reach over 35,000 students annually from elementary schoolPrimary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
through college. These programs include Access-Shakespeare, a fully staged touring production; Shakespeare Students on Stage, and Free Will, an artists-in-residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
program; and the Teaching Shakespeare Summer Institute. In addition, the Festival runs a summer Apprentice Program for a select group of college-age actors who are seriously committed to learning the craft of theater.
Staff
Founding Artistic Director Terrence O'BrienTerrence O'Brien (director)
Terrence O'Brien is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and received advanced training in acting and directing at American Conservatory Theatre, A.C.T. in San Francisco...
Executive Director Maggie Whitlum
Managing Director Abigail Adams
Associate Artistic Director, Director of Education Christopher V. Edwards
2011 season
HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
by William Shakespeare
June 15 - September 3, 2011
Directed by Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien (director)
Terrence O'Brien is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and received advanced training in acting and directing at American Conservatory Theatre, A.C.T. in San Francisco...
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
by William Shakespeare
June 14 - September 4, 2011
Directed by Kurt Rhoads
Around the World in 80 Days by Mark Brown adapted from the novel by Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
June 16 - September 2, 2011
Directed by Christopher V. Edwards