The Acting Company

New York, New York

Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley with Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, and other members of the first graduating class of Julliard's Drama Division, The Acting Company prides itself on delivering the highest-quality, text-driven productions to underserved audiences while concurrently engaging students in the words of Shakespeare with in-class workshops and residencies, fostering an appreciation for both Shakespeare and the arts and craft of theater for a lifetime. Honored with a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater, The Acting Company promotes theater and literacy by bringing touring repertory of classical productions, talented young actors, and teaching artists into communities across America, particularly to those where live performance and arts education is limited or nonexistent. The company has been honored with awards such as the Obie, Audelco, and others over a span of almost four decades for its sustained excellence in theater and arts education. The Acting Company has produced and presented classical works, including full-text productions of Shakespeare, to 48 states across America and in 10 foreign countries.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, The Acting Company will bring its production of Romeo and Juliet  to diverse and underserved communities across America. It will be directed by Penny Metropulos, long-time director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and set in the 1912 Edwardian era, which was a period of extraordinary transformation and will serve as a bridge between the past and today, as well as a look to the future. A full complement of educational programming will include Literacy Through Theater, week-long residencies that bring teaching artists directly into the classroom to study the play; Shakespeare for Teachers professional development workshops; and workshops that include Page-to-Stage, and acting clues in Shakespeare.

Visit them at: www.theactingcompany.org