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Thanks for visiting the Blackfriars Youth Shakespeare Website, kindly hosted by
the Rivendell Club.
Our initiation into Shakespeare productions began in 1996 when, after several
years of unsatisfying attempts at dramas written expressly for children, we
launched into a revolutionary idea of feeding little kids the big kids stuff.
It worked! The actors and actresses, aged 6-11, rose to the challenge and haven't
given it up since. Presently, we are a group of seven home-schooled families
who contribute not only their children, but the parents' talents as well to
give a full scale outdoor production of Shakespearean comedies. We have two
groups, the 6-12 year olds, who will be performing "A Midsummer Night's
Dream," and the 13-18 year olds, who will perform "The Merchant of
Venice.
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Orlando and Rosalind in
"As You Like It" (2000) | Holofernes in "Love's
Labours Lost" (1998) |
Amongst the cast are some accomplished musicians, so every play is sprinkled
with live music in varying amounts. In 2001, to accompany the "Tempest",
a small orchestral score was added to create a lively storm scene, as well as
harp music to help the fairies seemingly float through the air. The dads work
together to design and build the sets, while the moms are busy either directing
or making authentic Elizabethan style costumes. At the end of the day, our satisfaction
lies in working together to accomplish something both entertaining and beautiful,
that keeps our audiences coming back year after year.
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| Kate and Petruchio in "Taming of the Shrew" (2001) | Ferdinand, Prospero and Miranda in The "Tempest" (2001) |
Previous performances include "Comedy of Errors", "Midsummer
Night's Dream", "Love's Labours Lost", "As You Like It",
"Twelfth Night", "Taming of the Shrew" and "The Tempest".
The schedule for this year is:
Friday,
AUG 5 and Saturday, AUG 6
A
Midsummer NIght's Dream, 5:00-6:00
Picnic Dinner Intermission (bring your own) 6:00-7:00
The Merchant of Venice, 7:00-8:30
Sunday,
AUG 7
A
Midsummer Night's Dream, 3:00-4:00
Picnic Dinner Intermission (bring your own) 4:00-5:00
The Merchant of Venice, 5:00-6:30
In lieu of a set admission fee, tax-deductible donations are accepted for the
St. Johns Parish Family.
For more information, call Chris Deardurff at 540-631-9251 or Angelique O'Reilly
at 540-635-1734
DIRECTIONS: From Route 66: Take Exit 6. Follow signs to Christendom College.
From there, follow signs for Shakespeare. The Carrantouhill Outdoor Theatre
is at 2973 Shenandoah Shores Road, Front Royal, Virginia
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