Community Collaboration--Great River Shakespeare Festival Library Partnership Program
Increased understanding of the process of creating a play, as well as increased comprehension, enjoyment, and appreciation of the productions themselves and Shakespeare's work. Patrons will gain confidence in reading, viewing, or otherwise experiencing Shakespeare's work.
Introduction to the festival and to Shakespeare's work, as well as context for the productions they have the opportunity to attend. New patrons will also gain increased understanding of professional theatre processes and increased understanding and enjoyment of the plays they see.
For young people in middle school and high school, outcomes will include increased participation in summer reading programs in their local libraries. A deeper understanding and confidence with Shakespeare's work and the connection it has to modern literature.
Survey questions include some of the following, in addition to a series of statements to be rated (instructor quality, presentation quality, interest level): 1) Have you ever read or seen any of these plays performed? Are you interested in seeing or reading them now? 2) How do you think the experience of reading a play versus seeing one is different? Do you prefer to read plays before you attend them? 3) Are you more likely to enjoy a play when you have background information about it beforehand? 4) Did you learn anything new from this workshop? Tell us a little bit about any new connections you may have made.
The Great River Shakespeare Festival had almost unanimously positive reactions to the Library Partnership Workshops, with participants of all ages expressing a new or re-kindled interest in Shakespeare, both reading the plays and seeing them live. The young people who attended both Library Partnership Workshops (with their parents, generally) and the stage combat sessions left the libraries excited about stage combat. Those that were theatre students were excited to share their information about the process of fight choreography and the ways to stay safe with their theatre groups, and those who were new to the process often expressed interest in seeing Hamlet onstage, since there is so much fight choreography in that production. The workshops proved to pique interest for new patrons and deepen the understanding of the plays and the process of creating theatre for those patrons who had experienced Shakespeare's work before. The donated books were circulated 114 times during the course of the program.
Winona Public Library, Lanesboro Public Library, La Crescent Public Library, Northfield Public Library, Rochester Public Library, Rushford Public Library, and St. Charles Public Library