Festival Young company
What is the Richmond Shakespeare Festival Young Company?
The Festival Young Company is a summer training program for students who have an interest in theatre, history, Shakespeare, and making friends with other like-minded young enthusiasts! Students will take classes with local theatre practitioners, and have the opportunity to perform monologues, songs, and scenes on the lawn of Agecroft Hall as a preshow for our summer festival performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
This summer’s FYC classes take place over ten consecutive days from Monday, June 9th to Wednesday, June 18th from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Students will receive instruction in classical theatre performance techniques, theatre history, stage combat, music, and Shakespearean scene study.
Who is FYC for?
FYC is intended for students aged 13-19, typically local highschoolers.
Students do not need to have any previous experience or education in classical theatre to enjoy FYC!
What are the important FYC dates?
Friday, March 7th – FYC registration opens
Saturday, April 19th – Orientation and Audition for Festival Shows
Thursday, May 22nd – Cyrano performances begin
Monday, June 9th through Wednesday, June 18th – FYC classes
Thursday, June 19th – FYC Festival Green Show performances begin
Thursday, June 19th – Midsummer performances begin
Wednesday, July 16th – FYC Showcase performance
When and what do FYC students perform?
All FYC students are invited to perform the monologues, scenes, combat sequences, and songs they’ll learn in class as the Festival Green Show prior to performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which runs Thursday-Sunday from June 19th through July 20th. Attendance at every performance is not mandatory, but is encouraged!
Students will also have the opportunity to audition for Acting Apprentice tracks in the two Richmond Shakespeare Summer Festival shows: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cyrano De Bergerac!
Auditions for the Acting Apprentice roles will be held on our orientation day, Saturday, April 19th and more information about these auditions will be provided upon registration.
If cast in Cyrano, students will begin rehearsals in late April or early May, and if cast in Midsummer, students will begin rehearsals in June. Full rehearsal calendars for both summer shows will be made available on Orientation Day.
How much does FYC cost?
The FYC class fee is $350. Scholarships are available!
How do I register my student for FYC?
You can find the FYC registration form here and our online payment portal here:
Who do I contact with questions?
Please email FYC Program Director Claire Wittman at claire@richmondshakespeare.org with any questions!
MEET OUR FESTIVAL DIRECTOR!
Claire Wittman (FYC Program Director) is a playwright, dramaturg, and theatre educator based in Richmond, Virginia. She received her MFA in Playwriting from the Hollins Playwright’s Lab and her MLitt and MFA in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University. Previous credits with Richmond Shakes include Much Ado, Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, and the King Lear, Measure for Measure, Two Gents, and Cymbeline Bootlegs. Claire loves making theatre with and for young actors, and especially delights in exploring how students can infuse their own stories and unique points of view into the works of Shakespeare! You can learn more about her work at her website: clairewittman.com.
