This summer, Shake the Bard Theatre Company is pleased to present a new four week program for children in the fourth-eighth grades

Shake the Bard's Summer Academy will bring together students from around the county to write, design, and perform their own short production in front of a live audience. Students will learn interpersonal communication skills, acting techniques and problem solving as they piece together a script under the guidence of long-time McKinleyville Middle School play director Linnea Conway and elementary school drama coach David Hamilton.

The program is designed as a survey course in theatre production and will include scriptwriting, improv, stage management, acting and design skills. The four week program will culminate with the performance of a short original play before a viewing of Shake the Bard's summer production, Twelfth Night

Involvement in the arts can change a child's life forever

Many local schools are cutting funding to art programs, and in rural communities children rarely get access to qualtiy artistic education. Drama can open new pathways to communication, build coping skills, and allow children to better understand their fellow humans. More importantly, it allows kids to express themselves in ways that other disciplines can not. Children involved in the arts have higher self-esteem and are more ready to face the world after high school.

Enrollment in this program is limited to thirty children and scholarships are available. For more information, download the registration packet or contact David Hamilton.