SYFLA – Spring 2017

Titus Andronicus: The Musical

The Roman general, Titus Andronicus returns to a hero’s welcome after defeating the Goths in a ten-year campaign. Among his captives are the Queen of the Goths, Tamora, and her three sons, Alarbus, Demetrius and Chiron. Also accompanying her is her boyfriend, Aaron, a Moor. They are not happy. Titus has lost many sons in the war. He is not happy.

Suffice to say, this play is filled with classic Roman acts of revenge between Titus and his enemy, Tamora – each one tries to top the other, and it gets pretty gory! We are in an era where, for many of us, nothing feels darker than real life – so we are bathing this play about warped, twisted and corrupt leadership in a tub of satire and song.

Fais Do Do – 5253 W. Adams Blvd.
April 22 & 23
April 29 & 30
5 pm

Merchant of Venice

Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays – we are not shying away from controversy this season!! For us, theater is a space to grapple with the issues that we encounter in the “real world.” And the issues explored in Merchant of Venice feel exceptionally current. What happens when you stereotype people based on their cultural or religious identity? Is it ever OK? If you bully a bully, does that excuse your behavior? It’s easy to make assumptions about the events of this play, but when you dig deeper, the answers are never as simple as they might seem, at first glance.

Fais Do Do – 5253 W. Adams Blvd.
April 22 & 23
April 29 & 30
1 pm

The Hamlet Project

Famed theater director Charles Marowitz says, “Our job is to re-trace, re-discover, reconsider, and re-angle the classics – not simply regurgitate them.” This best describes our adventure with THE HAMLET PROJECT. Our Players have been living with this classic for eight months.

Location TBD
May 5 & 6
May 12 & 13
2 pm

Save the Date – April 23

Save the Date – April 23

Shakespeare Youth Festival 2017 opens on April 22nd, and we are celebrating with an Opening Weekend party on Sunday, April 23rd! Featuring delicious food by the talented chefs from Fais Do Do’s Jazz Brunch, sneak peeks of all the Festival shows, and a special musical guest, you don’t want to miss this chance to support your favorite young Shakespeare Troupe!!

DATE: Sunday, April 23
TIME: 7 pm (following Titus Andronicus)
PLACE: Club Fais Do Do, 5257 W. Adams Blvd.

TICKETS: $50.00

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

quickly-and-falstaffSir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun, so he writes two letters to a pair of Windsor wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they discover that they’ve both received letters, they plan a practical joke or two to teach the knight a lesson. But when Mistress Ford’s husband finds out, chaos ensues. Meanwhile, three suitors seek the hand of Anne Page, Mistress Page’s daughter, and the one she loves – surprise!! – is not the one that has Father’s Stamp of Approval!

Themes explored:

LIES AND DECEIT
This play is chock-full of people who are trying to “pull one over” on someone … and most of them get punished in some very funny ways! Are these punishments just? And what about when the punisher is also a deceiver?

SOCIETY AND GENDER
The characters in this play run the gamut from servants to nobility – we’ll explore how the different classes treat others and are treated themselves, and how different life is for women and men!

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
Merry Wives of Windsor is loaded with the kind of clever word-play and snazzy banter that makes us love Shakespeare … and with people who don’t communicate very well … which leads to a lot of hilarious misunderstandings!

Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm
Fais Do Do –
5253 W. Adams Blvd

2nd through 9th grade

Starting Saturday, September 17th

Tuition – $500.00

We believe that every child who is drawn to this work should be able to participate, so we offer a variety of scholarships – click here for the application form and guidelines. Please do not hesitate to apply!

Performances
December 3 & 4
December 10 & 11
Curtain Time TBD

Please note: There will be additional rehearsals scheduled in November.

 

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HAMLET – This class is full

HAMLET – This class is full

hamletFamed theater director Charles Marowitz says, “Our job is to re-trace, re-discover, reconsider, and re-angle the classics – not simply regurgitate them.” This best describes our coming adventure with THE HAMLET PROJECT.

This eight-month commitment is designed for the L.A. Drama Club Extremists and Shakespeare “Geeks,” who are as passionate about the process as they are about the performance.

Hamlet’s text, themes, characters, plots, subplots are for those who seek a challenge, a creative outlet – the initiators who want a stab at Creative Control, yet thrive on working as a ensemble. Now it is our turn to tell this story as this unique group of passionate Players experiences it.

Discussion, writing, experimental games and adventurous acting…The Hamlet Project will be “living” with this work for eight months, and performing it in the Spring SYFLA.

Tuesdays from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
September 13th through October 11th
Lyric Theatre
520 N. La Brea
October 18th through December 13th
Fais Do Do –
5253 W. Adams Blvd
January through May
Location TBD

7th through 12th grade
Starting Tuesday, September 13th

Performances
April 29 & 30
May 6 & 7

This class is full – if you’d like to be placed on the Waiting List, please email us.

We also invite you to consider Macbeth – we have a few spaces left!

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR – This class is full

MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR – This class is full

quickly-and-falstaffSir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun, so he writes two letters to a pair of Windsor wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they discover that they’ve both received letters, they plan a practical joke or two to teach the knight a lesson. But when Mistress Ford’s husband finds out, chaos ensues. Meanwhile, three suitors seek the hand of Anne Page, Mistress Page’s daughter, and the one she loves – surprise!! – is not the one that has Father’s Stamp of Approval!

Themes explored:

LIES AND DECEIT
This play is chock-full of people who are trying to “pull one over” on someone … and most of them get punished in some very funny ways! Are these punishments just? And what about when the punisher is also a deceiver?

SOCIETY AND GENDER
The characters in this play run the gamut from servants to nobility – we’ll explore how the different classes treat others and are treated themselves, and how different life is for women and men!

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
Merry Wives of Windsor is loaded with the kind of clever word-play and snazzy banter that makes us love Shakespeare … and with people who don’t communicate very well … which leads to a lot of hilarious misunderstandings!

Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm
Fais Do Do –
5253 W. Adams Blvd

2nd through 9th grade

Starting Saturday, September 17th

Tuition – $500.00

We believe that every child who is drawn to this work should be able to participate, so we offer a variety of scholarships – click here for the application form and guidelines. Please do not hesitate to apply!

Performances
December 3 & 4
December 10 & 11
Curtain Time TBD

Please note: There will be additional rehearsals scheduled in November.

This class is full – if you’d like to be placed on the Waiting List, please email us.

We also invite you to consider Macbeth – we have a few spaces left!

 

MACBETH

MACBETH

witchesIt is an Election Year. What will politicians do and say to be in power? Take Macbeth, for example. This Fall, we are going to pare Macbeth down and reveal these Bad to the Bone characters just as they are – raw, ambitious, political, shadowy, dark.

Themes explored:

FATE/FREE WILL – Does fate or human will determines a man’s future? What causes a seemingly decent man to commit evil acts? Is the play set in motion by the weird sisters’ prophesy that Macbeth will be king, or by his actions? In the end, the play leaves the question unanswered.

POWER/AMBITION – What distinguishes a good ruler from a tyrant? What are the consequences of regicide (killing a king)? Although the play is set in 11th century Scotland (a time when kings were frequently murdered), and how are political opponents committing character assassination today?

GENDER ROLES – Macbeth turns our notions of traditional gender roles upside-down – is femininity synonymous with kindness and compassion, and masculinity with cruelty and violence, or is Macduff right when he argues that the capacity to “feel” human emotion is in fact what makes one a “man”?

MAGIC – Witchcraft features prominently in Macbeth. What message do the witches and their actions have for us?

Mondays from 4 pm to 6 pm
Fais Do Do –
5253 W. Adams Blvd

4th through 9th grade

Starting Monday, September 12th

Tuition – $500.00

We believe that every child who is drawn to this work should be able to participate, so we offer a variety of scholarships – click here for the application form and guidelines. Please do not hesitate to apply!

Performances
December 3 & 4
December 9 & 10
Curtain Time TBD

Please note: There will be additional rehearsals scheduled in November.

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