Dear Shakespeare Friend,

We are considering producing Othello in our upcoming Third Season, which has given me cause to re-read the play a few times. I've participated in several productions in the last 20 years, always struck by a different tragedy in William Shakespeare's title character than the deaths and betrayals that end the story.

In Othello's speech to the Senators and Duke near the beginning of the play, we learn that he was made a professional soldier as a child, was conquered at some point, stripped of his religion, sold into slavery, bought out, and made a fierce mercenary General, yet always held in lower status as "the Moor."

His body and psyche have been trained and shaped for violence. But we discover how untrained his heart is when he encounters a woman who shows care for him - for the first time in his life. She is young and innocent enough to do so, and he is inexperienced enough to call it love. We then watch the unraveling consequences of a man's stripped soul and an unheard heart in our society.

It is a story that, unfortunately, still begs telling. The unexamined life, the unenriched heart, the uneducated soul, as Socrates said, often leave us searching for worth in ourselves and others.

As of this writing, nearly 6,200 children from more than 30 schools have participated with TSC this year in workshops, residencies, classes, and performance matinees. Young people have made up more of our audiences than adults have. Can you imagine that?

When our young people (and their teachers and parents) came to see our all-female production of Julius Caesar last month, we received more stirring feedback than ever. We knew we were taking a thoughtful risk with the production, and it paid off in awakenings and epiphanies from our audiences of more than 2,500 at City Hall. It is our most recent example of what happens when the professional arts are not only closer to the center of young peoples' educational experience, but to the ongoing experience of us adults, as well. Arts so often provide the fulcrum for sustainable, positive change.

This change has become a near-revolution for TSC, and we find ourselves administering a program that has nearly doubled in projected student-reach for the year!

It feels rewarding to be successful. Our fiscal year ends June 30. If you agree with me, or better yet with Socrates, will you please consider helping us over-extend ourselves as we go into more classrooms than we ever dreamed possible and into our new Summer Camps next month?

Your tax-deductible contribution to Tennessee Shakespeare Company right now will help us meet what is clearly a positive need in the Mid-South.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Dan

Graduation is a celebration, a moment to honor a life moving forward. By giving the gift of a TSC's Summer Play Camp this year, you can extend that moment into an experience that never stops celebrating.

The Play's the Thing
June 21-25
Monday-Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Daily lunch is provided and included in the tuition.
Cost: $250.00 per student.

"Double, double, toil and trouble!" Leap into the world of Shakespeare's Macbeth with TSC's professional actor-teachers. You'll be on your feet during this week-long exploration, living the world of the play. You'll be among the witches greeting Macbeth on the heath, then you'll be telling the very first "Knock, Knock" joke, and finally you'll do battle in the moving woods of Dunsinane! You won't believe how much fun you'll be having in this performance-based camp. No Shakespeare or theatre experience is necessary. Just come ready to play.

Young Player's Training Institute
July 21-23
Monday-Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Daily lunch is provided and included in the tuition.
Cost: $500.00 per student.

Would you like to train and rehearse like the classical actors of TSC? Here is your opportunity. The YPTI is a fun, intense, and demanding two weeks in which you will build upon essential acting techniques while taking personal ownership of Shakespeare's text. You will build your craft through sessions in Elizabethan Dance, Movement, Stage Combat, Text Work, Soliloquy, and Scene Play. The Institute is performance-based and will culminate in a final scene-sharing for your friends and family.

TSC's Groundlings volunteers are now on-line!

Groundlings Coordinator Donna Ladd, with her growing army of volunteers (pictured left), has created multiple ways for you to keep up with the Groundlings around town and join in the fun!

Visit TSC's website to find out what projects they have in store for the summer, and apply to join the fun.

You can become a Fan on Facebook to keep abreast of the latest projects and parties.

At Shakespeare's Globe Playhouse, the "groundlings" paid 10% of their day's wages to stand in the sun, hands on the stage, eager to hear every play they could afford. They were the great energy and support of the theatre, and the actors loved them.

TSC's Groundlings are just as dedicated, but without the need to stand in the hot sun all day. We encourage you to learn more about the heart of this organization in their Vision and Values, and e-mail your areas of interest to tscgroundlings@gmail.com.

You've seen his work, even if you didn't know it: Kevin Sprague is the graphic designer responsible for creating the lovely production images for As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the recent Julius Caesar. His Shakespeare design work began with Dan McCleary 14 years ago in the Berkshires.

Kevin is based in Massachusetts and has a new book out titled Imagining Shakespeare, with a behind-the-scenes look at his design work based on the performances, education, and training of Shakespeare's plays.

It is a beautiful and unique coffee table book, and you can now buy it online - and see if you can spot Dan in a clown suit!

Thanks to all 55 guests who played with us at Jim's Place Grille in May! Our winning team (pictured right) included: Michael and Sabrina Bivins, their children Sean and Tabatha, John Cicala, and Shaleen Cholera.

Their points, as with all players, will accumulate through the months to determine the final winner. Play soon and play often for the most points!

Drawing tickets were available for TSC's Luxury Trip Drawing to New York City. The winner will be drawn at our next Gala, but the winner of that night's drawing was Annie Calandruccio! She won a collection of four comedies from Shakespeare, and is still entered to go to NYC. Want to enter? Click here to fin out how!

Click here to see photos from the event!

The next Dinner with Shakespeare will be in September at the Brooks Museum of Art, but stay tuned for other fun TSC events through the summer!

Tonight (Thursday), come listen to former TSC musicians Susanna Perry Gilmore (pictured), cellist Iren Zombor, violinist Roy Brewer, bassist Chris Butler, and the rest of the Memphis Symphony as they present Opus One at 7:30 pm. Opus One will be performed at the Warehouse in the South Main District in downtown Memphis. Click here to view the postcard invitation.