Letter from the Executive Director
I will begin with a confession: I spent years pooh-poohing and dismissing Shakespeare. I was one of the thousands of high school students who, by the time I graduated, despised his texts. The poetry and passion of his work was sucked dry by an ill-equipped and tired educational system. And Shakespeare was not seen as terribly cutting edge during my college years so I easily continued to avoid him.
While a theatre major at Grinnell College, I spent time studying at The National Theatre Institute (CT) and, after graduation, attended Circle-in-the-Square Professional Theatre School in NYC. Still, I succeeded in avoiding Shakespeare. I eventually received my Actor’s Equity card, acted in many states and began teaching and directing. Finally settling in Lancaster, PA, I parlayed my teaching, directing, acting and writing experience into a full-time position as the theatre director at Lancaster Country Day School. And it was there that I made my long overdue discovery – William Shakespeare!
I’m still not sure why or how this happened. Maybe it was because I harbored an unconscious need for poetry in my life? I’m not sure but for some reason when I saw the school’s beautiful inner courtyard garden I thought it would be the perfect setting for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which it was. The process of directing that play taught me that, yes, I was not only capable of understanding and interpreting Shakespeare; I discovered I absolutely loved the process. I tapped into a personal passion and intensity for the work that surprised me. And when I looked around, I discovered that my passion had sparked my students’ passions as well. I knew I wanted more.
I continued to direct and teach Shakespeare and went on to study at The Actor’s Center (NY) and at Shakespeare & Company (MA) – participating in their NEH summer institute as well as their Actor’s Intensive. I learned, I made discoveries, I honed my acting and teaching abilities and I never tired of the work of Shakespeare. I was gratified as I watched my students develop their own personal connections to Shakespeare. They became better actors; not only that, but I think that they also became better people. The study of Shakespeare - including the depth and breadth of Shakespeare’s wisdom, his awesome ability to delve into the human heart and his genius in creating a world of characters true to our own flawed selves - cannot help but enable us to develop a deeper sense of understanding and compassion for those around us. The world sorely needs this. The world needs Shakespeare!
And that’s why I started The People’s Shakespeare Project. And that’s why I hope you will participate in this adventure as well.
Laura Korach Howell