Washington Foundation gift supports Montana Shakespeare in the Parks upcoming tour

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will perform William Shakespeare’s "The Tempest" and "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" during its summer tour of 75 free performances in 59 communities in Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Idaho and western North Dakota.

The 2009 extended tour that begins June 17 and ends Sept. 6 is made possible, in part, by a $10,000 grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, which will help support operating costs for the summer tour. The grant has enabled Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to extend its summer season by one week and add two new communities to the tour including Choteau and Three Forks.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, an outreach program of Montana State University’s College of Arts and Architecture, is in its 37th year of bringing live theatrical productions of Shakespeare and other classics directly to communities throughout the area with an emphasis on underserved rural areas.

"Of the communities visited by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, 40 percent have a population of fewer than 2,000 and 75 percent fewer than 10,000," said Joel Jahnke, MSIP’s artistic coordinator. "In tiny communities such as Birney, Mont., with a population of 17, a visit from the company is the most highly anticipated event of the year, with audiences often exceeding 150 from surrounding ranches and reservations."

Jahnke explained that although each community is charged a sponsorship fee based on population, the fee covers a small percentage of the $6,500 that it actually costs to bring the company to each community throughout the summer. Additional funding comes from individual donations, foundations such as Dennis and Phyllis Washington’s and proceeds from the annual summer benefit The Toast of the Town.

For additional information about Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, call 994-1220, e-mail Kathy at [email protected] or visit the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks website at http://www.montana.edu/shakespeare.

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This story may be accessed on the Web at: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=7187

Carol Schmidt, editor

Mountains and Minds magazine

Montana State University News Service

416 Culbertson Hall

Bozeman, Montana 59717

(406) 994-1966

Visit us on the Web at http://www.montana.edu