Brown Chair in English Literacy Takes Shakespeare on the Road

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Twelfth Night by Classical Edge Theatre

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Brown Chair in English Literacy in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, in conjunction with Classical Edge Theatre, a new professional company based in Bentonville, is sponsoring free performances of Shakespeare’s raucous comedy Twelfth Night at five locations around the state.

“Too many people think Shakespeare is only meant for ‘elite’ audiences,” said David Jolliffe, professor of English and holder of the Brown Chair. “In fact, Shakespeare was written for the masses to understand and enjoy, and getting one’s hands and mind into his work is one of the best ways to enrich the reading and writing lives of students—indeed, people of all ages.” 

The five performances include:

• Sunday, May 27, 5 p.m., Benton County School of the Arts, 506 W. Poplar Street, Rogers

• Thursday, May 31, 5:15 p.m., Gulley Park Gazebo, between Township and Old Wire Road, Fayetteville

• Friday, June 8, 7 p.m., Recital Hall, Donald W. Reynolds Center for Music and Communication, Harding University, 915 E. Market Ave., Searcy

• Saturday, June 9, 5 p.m., Malco Theatre, 424 Cherry St., Helena

• Sunday, June 10, 2 p.m., Ken Theatre, 103 W. Second St., McCrory

Audience members should bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating at the Rogers and Fayetteville performances. The May 31 performance immediately precedes the opening night of the city of Fayetteville’s Gulley Park Concert Series.

The performances of Twelfth Night culminate the season of arts-and-literacy outreach activities supported by the Brown Chair, in collaboration with various theatre companies and literacy advocates throughout the state. These included:

• A two-day spring-break camp on Shakespeare for ninth- and tenth-graders at the KIPP Delta College Preparatory School in Helena with Classical Edge.

• A week-long Shakespeare residency at Bald Knob High School in March with the Fayetteville-based professional company TheatreSquared.

• “Putting Literacy Center Stage,” a two-day conference for 80 teacher-educators examining ways to combine the performing arts in literacy instruction, with the University of Arkansas’s Center for Children and Youth.

The Brown Chair’s 2012 Shakespeare-and-literacy initiatives build on the success of the 2011 ARCare Shakespeare Festival in Augusta, which featured a student-written and student-performed version of The Tempest. The 2011 event also included a professional performance of the play, a recital of art songs based on its themes, and a series of public talks throughout the state about Shakespeare by Peter Smith, a renowned Shakespeare scholar from the University of Nottingham.

This year’s 90-minute production of Twelfth Night has a cast of seven actors including Elizabeth France, Jim Goza, Jolliffe, Bryce Kemph, Brian McCue, Virginia Scheuer and Asa Tims. It is directed by Justin Scheuer with Virginia Scheuer also serving as managing director.

Classical Edge, founded by Bentonville drama teachers Justin Scheuer and Virginia Scheuer, features actors with professional experience ranging from New York City to Washington, D.C., to San Francisco to the University of Arkansas.

Contact David Jolliffe at djollif@uark.edu for additional information about the Brown Chair’s Shakespeare-and-literacy projects. While all performances are free and open to the public, donations to support arts outreach activities throughout Arkansas are appreciated.