Shakespeare & Company readies "Romeo & Juliet" spring tour

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Shakespeare & Company's production of "Romeo & Juliet" begins a spring tour on February 2
LENOX - With more public performances than ever before and school bookings at maximum capacity, Shakespeare & Company's seven-actor 2004 Spring Tour of Romeo and Juliet winds its way through New England and New York state February 2 through May 21. Shakespeare's popular tragedy of"star-crossed lovers" is directed by Kevin Coleman. For tickets andinformation call S&Co's Education Department at 413-637-1199 x123. The Company's Education Program, headed by Coleman, has been touring Shakespeare productions for over 25 years. This season's tour of Romeo and Juliet is a fast-paced, 90-minute Bare Bard-style production that focuses on the text. It is similar to Shakespeare's own touring productions, which took to the countryside when the plague shook London and city officials closed down the playhouses. The players would take to the road, performing edited versions of the plays with smaller acting troupes. S&Co's seven-member cast will play more than 125 performances at 50 schools and theatres all over the northeast - stretching as far north as Portland, Maine, and as far south as New York City. The cast includes Stephen Anderson, Katie Atkinson, Stephen Libby, Robert Serrell, Sarah Taylor, Brain Weaver, and Tom Wells. Each actor plays two or more roles and also performs stage manager duties. The costumes are designed by Govane Lohbauer; scenic design is by Jonathan Croy, and the sound design is by Coleman, Croy, and Nathan Towne-Smith. The site-specific set for North Shore Music Festival performances is designed by Tal Sanders, with lighting designed by Rich Testa. In addition to performances at high schools, the tour will also perform in a week-long run at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA, where six additional S&Co actors will be added to the production along with an enhanced production and design elements. Additional cast members will be announced at a later date. First performed in 1598, Romeo and Juliet, the story of young love doomed to end in catastrophe, is one of Shakespeare's best-loved works. Set in Italy during a hot summer, the play covers one week in the lives of the feuding families: Montagues and Capulets. The term "star-crossed" refers to the classical notion that the stars, beyond the control of the two lovers, determine their tragic fate. However, Shakespeare calls this inevitability into question by examining how the lovers' fate is actually determined by human rivalry, hatred, and fear. Young Romeo, a Montague, is in love with Rosaline, who does not return his affection. Hearing that she is to be at a party at the Capulet's, Romeo, his cousin Benvolio, and his friend Mercutio don masks and crash the party. Romeo quickly forgets his former crush when he meets Juliet, Capulet's daughter. Her cousin Tybalt, a fiery swordsman, discovers Romeo and moves to attack, but Lord Capulet comes between them. Tybalt withdraws swearing revenge. That night, Romeo steals into the orchard beneath Juliet's balcony and to his surprise Juliet appears and swears her love to him, not knowing he is there. Romeo quickly reveals himself; Juliet freely admits her passion, and the two exchange vows of love and plans of marriage. The next day, Mercutio and Benvolio encounter Tybalt and an argument ensues. Romeo appears, having just come from his secret wedding with Juliet, and tries to settle the matter peaceably. Two brawls develop in quick succession leaving Mercutio dead by Tybalt, and Tybalt dead by Romeo. Romeo is banished from Verona but plans to reunite with his beloved Juliet. In the final moments of the play, the two lovers and their families are indeed united -- in the Capulet tomb, Romeo and Juliet in death, and the remaining parents in grief and remorse. "I have a long, personal history with this play, both as an actor and director," says Coleman. "Yet each time we work on this story, I am struck by how each rehearsal yields a new appreciation for the breadth and depth of Shakespeare's mind and heart -- and how accurately it captures how we really behave. Romeo and Juliet is more than just a story of two hapless lovers. It is a larger story of what happens when our actions and decisions are driven by fear: fear of what people will think; fear of humiliation and shame; fear of the unknown. Shakespeare shows us that to the extent we are ruled by our fear, we live inauthentic lives of resignation, despair, and violence. Romeo and Juliet's young love, so fragile and unseasoned, cannot find courage and wisdom quickly enough to match its passion and forestalls its headlong rush to death. Shakespeare urges us to look beyond the inevitability of this myth and to begin to imagine what might be possible if we choose to put love and reconciliation before fear." Two interactive workshops and a discussion period are available to the audience in conjunction with the performance. With Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World, students are introduced to Shakespeare, his language, and the history of his plays. Through Workshops in Performance, students not only learn about Shakespeare's works, but also have an opportunity to become the actors as they create their own Shakespeare performance. Public performances include: Babson College, February 12-13 (Wellesley, MA); The Strand, February 25 (Dorchester, MA); Cape Cod Community College, February 27 (West Barnstable, MA); S&Co's Founders' Theatre, March 4, 5 and April 2, 5 (Lenox, MA); Symphony Hall, March 23 (Springfield, MA); The Egg, April 23 (Albany, NY); and the Tilles Center, May 30 (Greenvale, NY). Tickets for these performances may be reserved by calling S&Co's Education Program at (413) 637-1199 ext. 123. Tickets are $8 general admission. Some performances are close to capacity, please reserve early. One of the most extensive theatre-in-education programs in the Northeast, Shakespeare & Company's programs have reached over half a million students since 1978 with innovative performances, workshops, and residencies. Guided by Coleman and Company education artists and teachers, educators continue to develop and fine-tune their programs to enhance and complement curricular activities in elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. The Education Program has been identified by the Arts Education Partnership and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as a Champion of Change. The Program is focused on bringing Shakespeare alive and into the lives of as many students and teachers as possible through the active exploration and performance of Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare & Company arts-in-education programs receive major support from The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, The G.E. Foundation, The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Banknorth, Berkshire Bank, and many other local corporations, private foundations, individuals, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council through its local cultural councils.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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