First Grade Students Embrace Shakespeare

Walk down the hallway of one urban elementary school in Columbus OH, and on one side you see typical first-grade artwork and writing samples about brown bears and red apples. The other side of the hall, however, is adorned with hand-drawn maps of Verona, Italy, and stories carefully hand-written from the viewpoint of various characters in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Inside the classroom are hand-colored portraits of William Shakespeare and wall-size excerpts from the text itself, plus huge paper castles labeled “Montague” and “Capulet.” Are these 6-year-olds at South Mifflin Stem Academy really learning Shakespeare?

Oh, yes. And they absolutely love it. Their teacher, Art Isennagle or “Mr. I” as he’s known, is one of 20 Columbus-area teachers who trained over the summer in a program at the heart of a partnership between The Ohio State University and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Spearheaded by The Arts Initiative at Ohio State, the professional development program is transforming the way children are taught and is based on the RSC’s renowned “Stand Up for Shakespeare” program, which advocates “Doing Shakespeare on Your Feet; Seeing it Live; and Starting it Earlier.”

“After going through the program with the RSC in Stratford, I have to admit I was skeptical. I could see how these techniques could work in the 5^th grade, the 7^th grade, high school,” he says. “But I wasn’t sure how it would work with 1^st graders! These are 6 year olds just learning to read. But I am absolutely amazed with what they are doing. I feel like we’re breaking new ground here.”

Mr. I incorporates Shakespeare in many lessons. For example, students read together from a portion of Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet. In addition to improving their reading skills, this has also taught the children to learn new words and to think about what the text means – for example, they had to figure out what “neighbor stained steel” means.

Students act out sections of the text, embracing the emotions of the townspeople and relatives of Romeo and Juliet. They imagine they are citizens of Verona and have written personal narratives about what kind of shopkeeper they are – one girl, for instance, wrote, “I am the apothecary in Verona, Italy. I make medicines out of plants called herbs. I work in the market place. I have had enough of the Capulets and Montagues fighting.”

The children have had discussions about how to deal with people who are not getting along, and they’ve created Venn diagrams showing how the Capulets, Montagues and townspeople are similar and different. Next up, they would love to perform the play!

“I am amazed at how quickly the students have embraced Shakespeare,” Mr. I says. “Pretending and imagination are what let us get into it so quickly.”

One little girl in pigtails agreed. “I love pretending and I love Shakespeare! It’s so much fun!”

Next Generation of Leaders Fellows Announced

The Arts Initiative at Ohio State is pleased to announce newly named members of the Next Generation of Leaders Fellowship. The year-long fellowship is designed to identify, support and prepare the most promising next generation of leaders at local institutions of arts and culture. They got together recently for a welcome reception at the Arts Initiative space (above), where they talked with Karen Bell, associate vice president for arts outreach, and program director Christy Farnbauch, along with alums from previous years of the fellowship. New fellows include Lauren Emond, arts coordinator, City of Upper Arlington Cultural Arts; John Shaw, director of production and fabrication, COSI; Tony Pellerite, marketing coordinator, Wexner Center for the Arts; Ruby Classen, grants and services manager, GCAC; Eliza Jones, gallery director, Ohio Art League; Anna Wuerth, part C program coordinator, Columbus Aids Task Force; Joe Bishara, associate artistic director, CATCO-Phoenix Theatre; Dustin Grovemiller, donor relations manager, CAPA; Geoffrey Martin, assistant arts administrator, Columbus Cultural Arts Center; and Lisa Dent, associate curator of contemporary art, Columbus Museum of Art.

The fellowship will include nine small-group sessions with highly individualized attention to the professional development needs of the participants in the context of the multiple demands of leadership.

Notable News

The Arts Initiative space was lively last Thursday when it hosted an opening reception for the work of Tom Kelly (above). His exhibition, Elegies and Vestiges, is a show about fragments, drawn from literary sources and through the use of found objects. Kelly is a self-taught mixed-media visual artist, who cites lyric writing, mythology and storytelling of ancient and contemporary sources as inspirations for his work. His show continues through November.

The same evening, the Ohio Art League hosted an opening reception for Industrial Lichen, work by Michelle Stitzlein (below), while the Shoebox gallery spotlighted new works by Stephanie Livingston in her show, Plush Apocalypse.

Coming up -- the 6th annual Craftin' Outlaws craft fair will be held at the Gateway Film Center on Saturday, Oct 16, 10 am to 5 pm. Vendors include 50 of the area's top crafters, artists and designers. Activities include screen printing, pumpkin carving / decorating, and candle-making.

October is National Arts and Humanities Month! If you're looking for some ideas on how to celebrate the arts, check out the website here.

Arts in the Alley Hosts Oct 7 Events

Arts in the Alley -- the arts and entertainment district in the alley at South Campus Gateway near the Ohio State campus (High Street at 10th) -- will come alive on Thursday, October 7, from 6 to 9 pm with three gallery openings, live music and a special film offering. The galleries will host free opening receptions for:

Elegies and Vestiges, mixed media paintings (above) by Tom Kelly, in the Arts Initiative space (1568 N High St). The show is a collection of the artist's work that highlights his use of fragments drawn from physical and literary sources. Elegies is a collection of paintings inspired by the surviving work of the ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho. Vestiges is a collection of Kelly's paintings using found objects as well as literary and historical sources. The show continues through November.

Industrial Lichen, work by Michelle Stitzlein, in the Ohio Art League Gallery (1552 N High St). The exhibition is a series of wall-hung sculptures inspired by botanical imagery and created with recycled materials. It continues through October.

The Plush Apocalypse, new works by Stephanie Livingston, in the Shoebox Gallery (1570 N High St), presented by ARTillery. The show continues through the month.

During the evening, there also will be refreshments in the galleries and live music outdoors in the alley. And the Gateway Film Center presents the Columbus premiere of the HP Mendoza comedy Fruit Fly, presented by the film center and Stonewall Columbus. It starts at 8 pm.

Notable News

The Arts Initiative's website is "new and improved" and has a host of information about our endeavors, from the Royal Shakespeare Company partnership and next summer's Scarlet and Gray Shakespeare (below) to details about our emerging artist programs and fellowships. Click here to check it out.

Sketch by Number, Arts in the Alley's award-winning sketch comedy troupe, presents The Monster Halloween Show Spectacular, with comedy and live music this month. Shows are $5 in the Green Room, 10th and High St in the alley at South Campus Gateway. On Friday, Oct 22, there's a 7 pm preview and a 9 pm show, with music by Cap City Pocket. Saturday, Oct 23, includes a show at 9 pm with music by Zak Houston. And Friday, Oct 29, has two shows at 9 and 11 pm and music by Tempted. Check it out!

Special student discount tickets are available to the Thurs, Oct 7, Condom Couture Event at BoMA, 583 E Broad St. There are SRO tickets available for any college or university student for $25; doors open at 7 pm and the runway show begins at 7:30. The popular event features runway fashions using condoms, designed by CCAD students. Proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood. Call 614-358-8730 to purchase a ticket.

Arts in the Alley Celebrates Students

To celebrate the return of Ohio State's student population, Arts in the Alley -- the arts and entertainment district at South Campus Gateway -- has a whole evening of fun planned. On Tuesday, Sept 21, the alley will be hopping with special activities from 5 to 9 pm. The alley itself will host a lively art fair, with local artists selling their works and live music provided by several bands. The Gateway Film Center will be closed for regular business that evening and open to incoming students only for a night of free movies and concessions. Movie showtimes are 4:30, 7 and 9:30 pm. In between shows, students can catch some comedy when Sketch by Number (above) offers full-length shows at 7:30 and 10 pm in the Green Room in the alley. And...don't be surprised if the sketch comics pop up in unexpected places in the alley throughout the evening!

The three galleries in the alley will host receptions for current shows. In the Arts Initiative space, Spencer Mustine and Nick Stull (below) showcase their work in HumanScapes: A Sense of Place. The Ohio Art League has a reception for What Would JOAN Do, works by Cyndi Bellerose-McAfee. And the Shoebox gallery hosts a closing reception spotlighting the Couchfire Collective.

Notable News

On Saturday, Sept 25, the Shoebox gallery hosts the opening reception 5-9 pm for the Very Exquisite Corpse show, a "progressive art" exhibition where works were created sequentially by several artists. The event is being presented by ARTillery Ohio and Artmobile as a fundraiser for several arts advocacy groups and Artmobile.

Also on Saturday, Sept 25, the Black Box Theatre in the Gateway Film Center will be the site of the Not Painful Film Festival, a celebration of short experimental films and sound pieces. It begins at 8 pm; admission is free but space is limited.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, Oct 7 for another "First Thursday" in Arts in the Alley. The Shoebox gallery, Arts Initiative space and Ohio Art League will all host opening receptions for new shows. Stay tuned for more details!

Spaces are still available to attend the 10th triennial Festival of Cartoon Art at Ohio State Oct 14-17. The festival will feature presentations by acclaimed cartoonists including Steve Breen, Roz Chast, Tony Cochran, Jan Eliot, Dave Kellett, Dan Piraro, Jen Sorenson, Paul Levitz and more. For information, click here.

Alley, Radio Show and More

Check out our latest Emerging Artist Studio radio features on the web! The most recent interviews spotlight Karen Bell talking with Colleen Leonardi (above) and Kal Poole. The spots air weekly on WOSU's Capital City Radio Station and are posted on the internet here.

Notable News

Are you an artist? The Arts Initiative space is issuing a call for artists' proposals for exhibitions in our Arts in the Alley gallery for 2011. Deadline is Sept 10. Check out the application here.

Stop by a gallery before the football game! The Arts in the Alley galleries will be open this Thursday, Sept 2, from 6 to 9 pm. The Arts Initiative space continues the exhibition, HumanScapes: A Sense of Place, featuring duo artists Spencer Mustine and Nick Stull. Next door, the Shoebox gallery opens a show spotlighting the Couchfire Collective. And across the alley, the Ohio Art League hosts the new show, What Would Joan Do?, with works by Cyndi Bellerose-McAfee.

August Art Fun in the Alley

Last Thursday evening, Arts in the Alley was hopping with visitors for our "First Thursday" gallery openings. In the Arts Initiative space, a happy crowd browsed around viewing new works by Spencer Mustine and Nick Stull (above). Their show, HumanScapes: A Sense of Place, continues through September. Both artists, says curator Kate Dowell, use abstraction to take the figure beyond simple representation, and both keep use of the figure engaging by reinterpreting a sense of place.


Throughout the evening, gallery-goers and passers-by enjoyed the artwork and live music in the alley. The Shoebox gallery hosted an opening reception for its new show, the ARTillery Invitational, with works by Ron Abram, Aby Algueseva, Waylon Bigsby, Allison Buenger, Molly Burke, Sarah Fairchild, Brittany Ference, Giovani, Joey Monsoon, Beth Nash, Tristan Seeger, Kristin Patton and Elaine Quave. And the Ohio Art League gallery (below) opened It's Complicated, with works by Clare Fox and Tara Polansky.

Surprise visitors to the alley were two British chaps straight out of the 1800s (below). Liam Cronin (left) and Dwayne Blackaller are stars of the comedy Shipwrecked, a play presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company and now playing through Sunday at The Green Room in the alley. For discounted tickets, click here.

Royal Shakespeare Company Announces Five Plays for NYC in Summer 2011

Lincoln Center Festival and Royal Shakespeare Company announced yesterday that the RSC's 44-member acting ensemble will perform five Shakespeare plays at Park Avenue Armory as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, in association with The Ohio State University, next summer in New York City. The five plays are As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet , King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra and The Winter's Tale, and will be presented during a six-week engagement, July 6-Aug 14, 2011. The five plays will be performed on a specially built thrust-stage theatre -- named the Scarlet and Gray Stage for the event -- based on the RSC's newly transformed theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. (Above, Sam Troughton and Mariah Gale in Romeo and Juliet; photo: Ellie Kurttz)

The announcement appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

One New York performance will be exclusively assigned to Ohio State for "Scarlet and Gray Shakespeare" -- a national benefit gala -- on July 12, 2011 featuring the RSC's critically acclaimed Romeo and Juliet. For more details, see our website.

Notable News

This Thursday, Aug 5, Arts in the Alley comes alive from 6 to 9 pm with opening receptions for three new exhibitions, live music outdoors and free refreshments. In the Arts Initiative space, artists Nick Stull and Spencer Mustine present paintings in their show, HumanScapes: A Sense of Place (above). The Shoebox gallery hosts the ARTillery invitational, with works by Ron Abram, Aby Algueseva, Waylon Bigsby, Allison Buenger, Molly Burke, Sarah Fairchild, Brittany Ference, Giovani, Joey Monsoon, Beth Nash, Tristan Seeger, Kristin Patton and Elaine Quave. And the Ohio Art League gallery opens It's Complicated, with works by Clare Fox and Tara Polansky.

Shipwrecked, An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont, by Donald Margulies, continues through Aug 15 at The Green Room, a new theatre venue at South Campus Gateway. The show, presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company, is based on the true story of a shipwrecked British explorer in the late 1800s, whose adventures – along with his trusty dog Bruno – included high-seas tales of giant sea turtles, flying wombats, a man-eating octopus and Queen Victoria herself. With a focus on the power of storytelling, Shipwrecked runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are available at the door or – at a discount – online here.

The Green Room is sponsored by the Arts Initiative at Ohio State and Campus Partners. The new space, a former storefront in the Arts in the Alley area that also houses three galleries, is the summer home to Whistling in the Dark, which is breaking ground by bringing "sustainable theatre" to Columbus. The company strives to be eco-friendly and cost efficient wherever possible.