Wherefore Youth Shakespeare?
You are about to see something very unusual: Shakespeare’s work performed in the original language by young actors who understand
what they are saying. These actors did not audition, but simply showed up and agreed to work. They let themselves become immersed in one
of our oldest and most collaborative art forms–live theatre.
In a society that boils down what we “need to know” to ten-second soundbites, who has time for nuanced communication or artful language? Even adults are regularly told that our attention spans are simply not long enough for long movies or plays, so producers and directors cut and slash for fear of displeasing paying customers. Meanwhile, anyone who has ever seen their toddler drop their stuffed puppy and lunge for the family pet knows that we, especially kids, crave the real thing. I believe that Shakespeare is perfect for young people. At its best, Shakespeare’s work helps us understand ourselves as humans, and shows us how to express ourselves with an eloquence and specificity that pay tribute to our ability to truly communicate. Like an engaging puzzle, Shakespeare demands our full attention and rewards our persistence with beautiful experiential art.
If we offer young people an opportunity to collaborate in producing Shakespeare, they rise to the challenge. They plunge in and figure out how to do what at first seems to be impossible. At Logan Youth Shakespeare, the emphasis is on maximizing the experience of each actor. When actors are cast according to desire, ability, and interest, instead of gender, age, or appearance, all have an equal opportunity to delve in to the action and words of the full range of characters. Without auditions, cooperation replaces competition. When all actors are expected to serve one another by working behind the scenes, and by directing their counterparts in rehearsal, a community of equals begins to form. In this unique environment, kids stop classifying one another by age or looks or grade, and begin to see their fellow actors as essential pieces of the puzzle they have decided to solve together.
-Mary Jackson-Smith, Founder
Logan Youth Shakespeare is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to performing Shakespeare with youth ages 9-19. There are no auditions, and everyone is welcome. We perform 2 plays per year with additional workshops some years.
Mary Jackson-Smith started Logan Youth Shakespeare in 2009 with the performance “Two’s Company” which was a collection of small scenes. Since that time, Logan Youth Shakespeare has performed 35 full plays. Some of our actors have gone on to pursue professional careers in acting or theater, but even among those who have not, Logan Youth Shakespeare has been a valuable and important experience. Mary has since moved to Ohio and started Wooster Youth Shakespeare.
Lisa Ward directed LYS from 2017-2023 and did some amazing shows including: Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Henry IV Part I, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet.
Jo Leary is the current director of Logan Youth Shakespeare. She has been involved as an audience member since the beginning of the program, but started taking on a more official role in 2018 with her directorial debut of Comedy of Errors in 2020 (which was terrible timing, but we got through it.) Over the next few years she directed Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Pericles, and King Lear.