Additional Online Programs and News Briefs!

THE OLD GLOBE NEWS BRIEFS: How We Connect with Our Community in These Unprecedented Times

The Globe’s Favorite Party, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. SHAKESPEARE!,Will Take Place Virtually on SATURDAY, APRIL 25

DETRÁS DEL TELÓN, BEHIND THE CURTAIN in Spanish, Premieres Online MONDAY, APRIL 20 at 3:00 p.m.

PAM FARR SUMMER SHAKESPEARE STUDIO Announces New Dates: JULY 13 – AUGUST 8

The Globe Introduces Important New FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN: GlobeRISING

Updated Guide to FREE ONLINE THEATRE PROGRAMS: Playwriting Workshop COMMUNITY VOICES; Theatrical Workshop BEHIND THE CURTAIN; THINKING SHAKESPEARE LIVE: SONNETS!; ON BOOK: THE OLD GLOBE’S SHAKESPEARE READING GROUP; ACT BREAKS, Exclusive Videos from Globe Artists; and PLAY AT HOME, World-Premiere Short Plays to Be Enjoyed at Home

SAN DIEGO (April 16, 2020)—The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, now more than ever, and is determined to continue to serve the public through theatre art. We consider it paramount that we continue to be a leader in programming for our community, and continue to support and maintain valued connections with those hungering for artistic content and continued personal growth. We are happy to announce additional free online programs, rescheduled dates for our valued summer Shakespeare classes, and a fundraising campaign, all part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by providing programs that make theatre matter to more people.

“Theatre endures, even in the most challenging circumstances,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “The Old Globe’s 85-year history of providing exciting and entertaining programming for our community continues with these special initiatives. I’m so proud of our staff, whose hard work and endless creativity have developed ways for us to bring our work to San Diego and beyond, and I’m so thrilled to be able to fulfill our mission to serve and support our community in this unprecedented moment. Our arts engagement programs are nationally renowned, and I know that participating in them will be a balm. Our humanities programs keep us in conversation about how theatre maintains the world spinning forward. And personally: a great mentor of mine taught me that there’s no problem in this world that can’t be eased at least a little by having some Shakespeare thrown at it, so I’m raring to go. We all look forward to seeing you, at least virtually, very soon.”

Not even these uncertain times could make us miss our fifth annual Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! The popular daylong celebration of Bard-inspired activities on the Globe’s Copley Plaza commemorating our resident playwright will still happen, but live-streamed online, hosted by Director of Arts Engagement Freedome Bradley-Ballentine! The whole family can play and learn from the comfort of home, with interactive activities including a sonnet reading with introduction by Shakespeare scholar Barry Edelstein, the Henry V Saint Crispin's Day speech performed by actors in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, creative ruff-making with Master Teaching Artist and Programs Manager Lisel Gorell-Getz, a Reflecting Shakespeare lesson (usually shared with our incarcerated populations) with Programs Manager Erika Phillips and Master Teaching Artist James Pilar, a hip-hop sonnet-writing workshop with Teaching Artist Miki Vale, a weapons and sword-handling demonstration by Ben Cole, and a solo performance from San Diego Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tune in on Saturday, April 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.

Behind the Curtainis going bilingual with its Spanish version: Detrás del Telón. This free series of interactive workshops offering a chance to explore the magic of creating a theatrical production was originally held at our Community Partner venues, but has moved online for the time being. Due to their growing popularity and a wish to reach all audiences, there will now be a separate edition for Spanish-speaking audiences to enjoy at home. This fun and educational workshop features the same structure and industry guests as the original, but will have simultaneous live translations for audiences to comment on and engage with. The first Detrás del Telón will explore the world of lighting designer Heather Reynolds with the help of Arts Engagement Teaching Artists and co-hosts Tara Ricasa and Valeria Vega. Viewers will be introduced to a different design discipline each week by Globe designers and artists in several fields, including costumes (Shelly Williams and Charlotte Devaux), sets (Joe Powell), sound (Paul Peterson), props (Dave Buess), hair and makeup (Ali Reyes), and casting and directing (Lamar Perry), all of whom will provide unique insights and lead hands-on activities teaching the principles of design while offering practical and transferable skills. Join us for the premiere next Monday, April 20, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page. Detrás del Telón will run every Monday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time for six weeks.

Back on campus! During the four-week intensive curriculum of the Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio, high school students and recent graduates dive into acting, movement, music, and writing classes, and training in voice and speech, stage combat, and text. This summer’s new dates at The Old Globe are July 13 – August 8 (dates subject to change), with master classes led by Globe artists and staff, many of them leaders in their respective fields. The work deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writing and shows them how to use his work as a model for engaging with their own experiences. It incorporates non-Shakespearean material, including modern music, original texts, and the participants’ own freewrites, where the group brainstorms topics essential to the play, leading them to discover uniquely personal ways to express them. Tuition is $725, students are admitted without regard to ability to pay, and financial aid (and a bus pass) are available for all students with demonstrated need. The application deadline has been extended to April 30. For information, please email Studio@TheOldGlobe.org.

To help us continue in our 85 years as an institution central to the cultural and civic lives of San Diego, The Old Globe announces an important new campaign: GlobeRISING. When our stages were closed by war or destroyed by fire, we continued to make theatre as the community rallied to bring the Globe back better than ever. Today we are one of the nation’s great theatre companies, creating sublime productions that bring joy and laughter, that connect us to each other, and that remind us of our common humanity. The coronavirus pandemic has brought great change to our world, but the Globe is responding to this period of upheaval with energy, adaptation, and innovation, delivering theatre programs online and planning a reopening worthy of this great institution. Until then, we need the public’s support to help keep the GlobeRISING. Donate to help the Globe rise above this challenging time.

Free online programs that are now running include:

Community Voices: Interactive workshops dedicated to the process of creating short plays inspired by personal experiences. No experience required, only the desire to learn and share your own stories. Hosted by Arts Engagement Programs Manager Katherine Harroff and two Teaching Artists. The program began March 26 and runs every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time for nine sessions, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.

Behind the Curtain: Explore the magic of creating a theatrical production. Interactive workshops with industry professionals introduce design disciplines, including costumes, sets, sound, lighting, and props. Guest artists, hosted by Arts Engagement Programs Manager Laura Zablit, teach principles of design while offering practical and transferable skills. The program began April 1 and runs every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time for six weeks, live on The Old Globe Arts Engagement’s Facebook page.

Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets, each only 14 lines long, contain some of his most beautiful and moving poetry. Barry Edelstein’s Thinking Shakespeare Live: Sonnets! introduces the form and delves into one masterpiece each week, exploring its language, how it works, and how it relates to Shakespeare’s work for the stage. Thousands watched on March 31 and April 14; check The Old Globe’s Facebook page for the next installments!

In On Book: The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Reading Group, audiences read and discuss Shakespeare’s plays, beginning with The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V, with Shakespeare scholars and actors, hosted by Globe Literary Manager and Dramaturg Danielle Mages Amato. The program began April 2 and runs every Monday and Thursday at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, live on The Old Globe’s On Book Facebook group page.

For Play At Home, a national initiative of not-for-profit theatre companies reached out to artists to create a series of world-premiere short plays commissioned specifically for families to read at home! Globe artists include Ngozi Anyanwu, Barry Edelstein, Nathan Englander, Selina Fillinger, Jose Cruz González, Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, Tony Meneses, Heather Raffo, Mike Sears, Gill Sotu, Whitney White, and Anna Ziegler. Scripts are available for free downloading at www.playathome.org. Share on social media by tagging #PlayAtHome!

When the curtain falls, where do the artists go? Act Breaks reveals the answer, with exclusive video content connecting us with favorite actors, writers, directors, and artisans to see what they are up to during this Great Intermission. Each artist shares what is foremost in their hearts and minds: new songs—from Gordon Greenberg, Steve Rosen, and the Ebenezer Scrooge cast, to Bright Star’s Edie Brickell, to a message from Richard Thomas. Check our website, or sign up for weekly eblasts at http://tracking.wordfly.com/join/OldGlobe, to be the first to discover our newest ambassador!


Status update: Globe productions and events have been postponed until further notice; all dates are subject to change. Make sure to follow us on www.TheOldGlobe.org for schedules and updates! To watch videos, visit www.theoldglobe.org/edp-pages/2020/online-theatre-programs. Please contact PR Director Susan Chicoine if you need to download visuals for media usage, or go to www.dropbox.com/sh/jd37hdzqg2l6i39/AACPyV80Dm0gotFxGTHfLxjva?dl=0

The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional not-for-profit regional theatres. Now in its 85th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community with theatre as a public good. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages, including its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!—have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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