CSC Announces New Arts Education Initiative PROJECT 38

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Announces their new Innovative Arts Education Initiative, PROJECT 38

Students of Project 38

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has unveiled their new arts education initiative!

CINCINNATI, April 24, 2014 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to announce their new innovative arts education initiative titled PROJECT 38 which will launch next school year. Over the last 20 years, CSC has brought classical theatre and literature to life for over 200,000 students from 150 schools in more than 100 zip codes across three states. This close connection with students and educators has inspired them to take on this exciting new endeavor. This season, Cincinnati Shakespeare is also “completing the canon” by producing all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays. The 38 plays have served as the inspiration for the title of PROJECT 38.

On the evening of April 23rd, CSC unveiled this new initiative called PROJECT 38. In this program, CSC will collaborate with 38 different area schools. Each school will be given one of the 38 plays in Shakespeare’s canon. Then, over the course of the year, teaching artists from CSC will go out to each of the schools and work with the students and faculty on bringing that play to life in various ways. This could be through a traditional production, a monologue or scene, or a dance piece, or music piece, a mural, etc.- anything the students & school can conceive of and feel passionately about. It will culminate in the PROJECT 38 festival at the end of the school year which will become a multi-day celebration in which all the students will gather, and share what they’ve created with each other, their schools, family and friends and with the community at large.

To celebrate the launch of this project, each of the schools chosen for the inaugural year selected one student representative to appear in a group performance piece at CSC’s Revel & Feast gala on April 23, 2014. This performance featured lines and scenes from each of Shakespeare’s 38 plays. The audience reaction was overwhelming as these students brought to life the entirety of Shakespeare’s canon and truly embodied the spirit of what PROJECT 38 will become!

The list of the first 38 schools selected is below. This program will be offered to 38 schools each season at no additional cost to the school. For information about how to support or get involved with PROJECT 38, please contact Jeanna Vella, Director of Education and Communications at jeanna.vella@cincyshakes.com or 513.381.2273 ext. 3202, or visit www.cincyshakes.com.

Inaugural PROJECT 38 School List:

• Aiken High School
• Anderson High School
• Archbishop Moeller High School
• Bellevue High School
• Boone County High School
• Campbell County High School
• The Cincinnati Waldorf School
• Cincinnati Christian High School
• Clark Montessori
• Covington Catholic High School
• Covington Latin School
• Dixie Heights High School
• Elder High School
• Finneytown High School
• Hamilton High School
• Indian Hill High School
• Kings High School
• Lakota West High School
• Leaves of Learning
• Lebanon High School
• Mercy Montessori
• Milford High School
• Mother of Mercy
• Notre Dame Academy
• Oak Hills High School
• Ohio Virtual Academy
• School of Creative and Performing Arts
• The Seven Hills School
• South Dearborn High School
• St Thomas School
• St Ursula Academy
• Sycamore High School
• New School Montessori
• Turpin High School
• Ursuline Academy
• Villa Madonna Academy
• Walnut Hills High School
• Wyoming High School