Shakespeare in the Schools: Hamlet Tour Concludes

The Utah Shakespeare Festival would like to acknowledge and celebrate the closing of their 2024 tour of Shakespeare in the Schools. This year, a team of nine theatre professionals brought a condensed version of Hamlet, one of the world’s most recognized plays, to K-12 students.

Members of the touring company were Tour Manager Kellie M. Beck, Stage Manager Fiona Misiura, and actors (left to right in photo) Blaize Adler-Ivanbrook, Abigail Rose Nakken, Darin F. Earl II, Adam Koda, Gianna Porfano, Isa Guitian, and Darci Ramirez.

Throughout the Intermountain West, the Festival’s touring program serves both rural and urban students and communities, providing access to professional theatre. The tour began in February and closed April 20, concluding with a total of 52 performances and 9,360 audience members served.

Tour Director and Education Director Stewart Shelley noted that the tour was a “soul-filling experience.”

“This year’s company brought such creativity, passion, and professionalism to our production of Hamlet, my personal favorite of Shakespeare’s,” Shelley said. “I am so grateful for the meaningful connections the company made with students, teachers, administrators, and communities around the state and Intermountain West region.”

The tour provided students with the opportunity to see Shakespeare performed live––often for the first time. Festival Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr noted that seeing the students engage with the play was a joy.

“They would gasp at moments of surprise, as a group reacting to major plot moments, and respond back to actors during key monologues,” Bahr said. “Every student should have the opportunity to see this important play from Shakespeare’s canon, come to life, on-stage, and not just studied from a text.”

For Bahr, it was imperative for students to see the production because Shakespeare’s plays teach lessons that everyone can learn from, and “a live production is the best way for this to happen."

Shakespeare in the Schools brought one of the Bard’s most gripping tragedies to the students, creating an intimate and impactful experience in the classroom.

“How fortunate for those thousands of students to take in the greatest tragedy ever written in the middle of an ordinary day of classes,” Artistic Director John DiAntonio said.

Koda, who played the role of Hamlet, reflected on the educational tour, noting that it was a dream to work with the company.

“The work always felt meaningful; I went to bed every night knowing that the next generation of artists is full of passion and excitement for theater,” Koda said.

Earl returned to the 2024 Shakespeare in the Schools tour to play Claudius/Ghost, after having participated in the Othello tour in 2023.

“I knew I wanted another opportunity to connect with the students in the Intermountain West with more creatives who were excited to learn from the students as well,” Earl said.

Theatre changed Earl’s life after discovering it in high school. And now, bringing the production to students was a way to help “young ones embrace themselves, challenge themselves, and even surprise themselves by engaging in something as timeless and accessible as Shakespeare.”

With education an important and valuable part of the Festival’s mission, the Shakespeare in the Schools tour is imperative to keeping the arts alive and thriving.

“The [tour] helps build the next generation of Shakespeare superfans,” DiAntonio said.

For more information on the Festival’s Education Department, visit bard.org/about/education. This summer, camps and classes will be offered for both students and educators. To sign up and for more information, click here.