The "Semester of Shakespeare at IU Kokomo"
English professor Terri Bourus recounts memorable events of campus' Shakespeare celebration
In the spring of 2005, I won a New Perspectives Grant from IU Bloomington, funded by the Lilly Foundation. This grant, designed to encourage arts and creativity in the region, allowed me to bring the Actors From the London Stage to the campus of IU Kokomo for a one-week residency. Once I had the grant letter in my hand, I began to think about ways that I could expand this experience into an entire semester and the final result was the "Semester of Shakespeare at IU Kokomo."
A group of students, called the "Red Hats," helped create what many students have called the most memorable and life-changing experience of their careers. Terri Bourus, whose grant award led to the "Semester of Shakespeare at IU Kokomo," is pictured in the bottom row, second from the right.
The springboard was, of course, the acting residency, and that would have been enough for some; but the students at IU Kokomo were motivated to create what many of them now call the most memorable and life-changing experience of their college careers. They organized a student Shakespeare team, the "Red Hats." Under the guidance of their chairperson, Katherine Washburn, the Shakespeare team structured the acting residency week, organized a special session at the IU Women's Studies Conference and planned the IU Kokomo Renaissance Faire. I had the opportunity to teach two upper-division Shakespeare courses never before offered at IU Kokomo, and we traveled as a group to several Shakespeare plays and musical events.
Christopher Staines, a member of the Actors From the London Stage troupe, works with IU Kokomo education students on improvisational techniques for the classroom.
The week-long residency of the actors was incredible! Tim Hardy, Gregory Cox, Louise Yates, Isabel Pollen and Christopher Staines come from the best theatre venues in England, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. They spent the week teaching classes, rehearsing with students, performing what the English call "one-handers" (one actor performances), and joining in several informal actor-student-faculty gatherings, including a pizza lunch open to the entire student body. During the residency, Dr. Peter Holland, an internationally recognized Shakespearean scholar, came to campus to deliver a lecture on "Shylock and the Rates of Exchange in The Merchant of Venice." Dr. Holland graciously spent time following his lecture, meeting and talking with the students and faculty who came to hear him speak. The residency concluded with two performances of The Merchant of Venice to two sold-out houses: one to over 900 area high school students and one to over 900 campus and community members. The actors closed to a standing ovation and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
AFTLS actors Tim Hardy (left) and Isabel Pollen in a performance of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" at IU Kokomo. Photo by Jeff Gegner.
By the end of March, we were ready to host the Women's Studies Conference and once again, the Red Hats came together to make sure that this event was successful. The special panel, Women Writers in the Renaissance and Reformation, included presentations from IU Kokomo students, Amber Taylor, Katherine Washburn, Melissa Heffernan, Karen Smith and Edwin Faunce.
Throughout the entire year, Kate Washburn and her Shakespeare team were preparing for the end of the semester event, the IU Kokomo Renaissance Faire, held on the campus grounds on April 22. They created what Dean (Susan) Sciame-Giesecke called, "the single best event ever held on this campus." And it was. There were jugglers and dancers, a fortune teller, and a court, complete with a king (Colburn Lambert) and a queen (Cara Higler). There were fighting demonstrations by knights in chain mail and armor, and an opportunity for everyone to try their skills at archery. There were storytellers and puppeteers and delicious food and drink! It was a fitting end to an exciting semester. The Red Hats want to continue this tradition and make the faire an annual event. What began as grant proposal for a one-week residency became one of the best semesters in IU Kokomo's collective memory. Quite a tribute to a playwright from Stratford-upon-Avon who lived over 400 years ago!
Terri Bourus is an assistant professor of English at Indiana University Kokomo. To learn more about her research on Shakespeare, go to http://research.iu.edu/news/stories/0042_shakespeare.html.
AFTLS cast members perform "The Merchant of Venice" at IU Kokomo. Photo by Jeff Gegner.
