The Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival has received a grant from the city of Santa Clarita which will allow the program to bring free performances to local schools.

The grant, one of 28 Arts and Community Services grants awarded by the City Council, is in support of the Shakespeare’s performances in local title 1 elementary schools. This is the second time this program is funded to bring free performances to local schools.

“It is exciting watching students captivated by a classic piece of literature coming to life in front of them,” said David Stears, executive director of the Shakespeare Festival. “We are extremely grateful for the award and very excited to continue this program in our local schools.”

The $7,500 award is a matching grant, which means the Shakespeare Festival needs to raise an additional $7,500 to receive the award. The program going into the schools this year will be Scrooge’s Long Night, an original adaptation of the Dickens’ classic. The script is a 40-minute piece with 4 actors creating all the characters for the story. The play uses character counts principles as guidepost for Scrooge as he makes his way to a man of good character.

The educational outreach program brings classic literature to the stage, and develops original bilingual adaptations of fairy tales and folklore. Other original pieces presented as part of the educational outreach program include: The Boy Who Cried LOBO, Romeo & Juliet, East of the Sun y al oeste de la luna.

In addition to bringing low cost and free programing to local schools with in-school assemblies and after-school enrichment programs, the educational outreach program also holds classes and workshops throughout the community. In the summer the educational outreach program oversees the Apprentice Company with the Shakespeare in the Park series.

The Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to engaging the entirety of our community through performances, programs and events that recognizes our indelible commonality, and rejoices in our diversity. In the summer, SCSF produces the LA SummerFEST, an eclectic, summer cultural festival of music, theatre, and special events.

Scrooge’s Long Night will be book almost exclusively through the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center K-12 program. For information about bookings or the educational outreach program, please contact the Shakespeare Festival at outreach@SCShakespeareFEST.org.

For more information about the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival, visit our website at www.SCShakespeareFEST.org, like our facebook page at www.facebook.com/SCShakespeareFest, or follow us on twitter at @SCShakesFest.