The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is one of the leading Shakespeare Theatres in the nation. As a company, they are dedicated to bringing new life to the classics and performing for a diverse audience. They are New Jersey’s largest theatre that is devoted to Shakespeare’s popular and classic works, and as a teaching theatre, they aim to provide education and tools for students and others interested in the arts.
To have such a devoted institution operating right on our very own campus since 1972 gives Drew students the opportunity to interact with theater arts and professionals due to such close proximity. In fact, Drew University already advertises its commitment to theater and dance and is recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the country’s top 25 best colleges for theater.
However, it wasn’t until this year that the Shakespeare Theatre and Drew’s theater department announced their first ever collaboration on a joint production.
“Henry VI: The Rise of Richard” will run from March 26-28 at the Shakespeare Theatre and the cast and crew will be performing the third part of the famed play. As one of Shakespeare’s most significant historical productions, “Henry VI” was also looked to as inspiration for George R.R. Martin’s popular book and television series “Game of Thrones.”
As for the production itself, 29 Drew students are involved as members of the cast and/or assistants within the crew. Overseeing them is artistic director Brian B. Crowe, with numerous other Shakespeare Theatre staff and Drew faculty members like lighting designer Kevin Gartley and Theatre Arts Professor/set designer Jim Bazewicz, respectively.
For decades, “Drew has been able to offer theatre students the opportunity to enjoy an active relationship with New Jersey’s only professional theatre dedicated to the classics” according to The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. And, with this professional partnership between the two institutions, students can now take advantage of what the Shakespeare Theatre has to offer more so than ever before.
As a result, we believe that this historical collaboration should be the starting point for even more joint productions between Drew and the Shakespeare Theatre going forward.
The students involved in both the cast and crew are able to build their knowledge and hands-on experience with acting, directing and the overall art of performing through this partnership, as they get to work directly with skilled professionals.
While most of the students involved are theater majors or minors, there are many students majoring in other fields who are participating in this production. Even so, all of the students have been given the opportunity to work alongside a professional organization, which in itself is a value many students wish to gain from college.
Stephanie Yanes (‘27), for instance, is working as both assistant costume designer for the show while playing the roles of Lady Bona and the Son. Her experience with this production exemplifies the need for future collaboration between our university and the Shakespeare Theatre.
“Being involved in both performance and design has given me a fuller understanding of how much collaboration and care goes into every part of a production,” Yanes said on her contributions thus far. “Being in a professional theatre environment has shown me the level of focus, discipline and creativity that the field requires.”
Those in the play have extensive rehearsals throughout each week to prepare them for the show, and in these rehearsals the students have been working diligently to put on a great performance. In doing so the students are not only working towards perfecting the show, but they are also learning and gaining valuable insight into a professional production which can materialize within their lives and careers after Drew.
“The opportunity to work with a regional theater as an undergraduate is extremely rare and should not be taken for granted,” said Alyssa Cifelli (‘26), one of the assistant stage managers of the production. “As one of the few students on the production team of this show and someone who plans to do this in the future, I am gaining tremendous experience by observing professionals and working with them first hand.”
This partnership provides a useful tool to the Drew students involved, which further proves how imperative such opportunities are for all students. We feel that every student should have opportunities to partner, or work, directly with organizations that highlight their majors or intended career paths, fostering valuable skillsets for their experiences after college.
With that being said, it would greatly benefit the Drew population if these two institutions continue to work together in the future. Though Drew student shows have been exhibited at the Shakespeare Theatre before, the precedent set by this joint production between our university and the Theatre should mean that students have the opportunity to further their professional theater skills from here on out.
The Lead Ed is the collective opinion of the Editorial Board
