Summer 1997

100,000 Students!
The 100,000th student was recognized at Butler Traditional High School on October 3, 2025

1996-1997 Shakespeare Alive! Tour Update
By Brandi Smith, Director of Education

The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's educational outreach tour, Shakespeare Alive!, served it's 100,000th student on October 3, 1996. The Boy Meets Girl Meets Shakespeare performance was given during a workshop at Butler Traditional High School in Jefferson County. As Shakespeare Alive! enters its sixth season, there is much anticipation and excitement at the growing possibilities in arts education.

For the past seven years, Shakespeare Alive! has been touring quality, professional performance workshops to schools throughout Kentucky and the Midwest. The program was developed by Curt L. Tofteland, our Producing Director, in response to what he perceived as a growing need among schools in Kentucky, particularly rural schools, for a quality arts education experience. The program's unique blend of performance and audience interaction provides an intimate, atmosphere for students to explore classical literature. Study guides are provided with each performance workshop to help teachers find the necessary links to acheiving KERA goals in their classrooms.

For the 1996-1997 tour, the Festival is excited to have actors Nathan White and Elizabeth Kelly on board performing Boy Meets Girl Meets Shakespeare. Both actors hail from Chicago and bring an exciting new energy to the program. Says Ms. Kelly, "This experience, what we're doing with children, is one that I will never forget." Mr. White agrees, "I thought I would be teaching the kids, but I think more often, they are teaching me." Both agree that the rigors of touring can be strenuous, but are enjoying their travels.

One of the Festival's goals is to serve students in every Kentucky county by the year 2000. Kentucky has 121 counties and Shakespeare Alive! has toured to 96 of them to date. The program has also toured to five Indiana counties West Virginia and Tennessee. The future of Shakespeare Alive! is bright indeed. As Shakespeare once wrote, "Tomorrow is a busy day."

1996-1997 Shakespeare Alive! Tour Statistics:
Over 125,000 students served to date!

The Festival has toured to 96 Kentucky counties to date including: Barren, Bath, Bell, Boone, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Butler, Caldwell, Campbell, Varlisle, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Grant, Graves, Grayson, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harlan, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hopkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, LaRue, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Logan, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Martin, Mason, McCracken, McCreary, McLean, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nelson, Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Taylor, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, and Woodford.


Schools in Jefferson County served this 1996-97 tour include: Western H.S., Valley H. S. South Park Tapp, Holy Cross H. S., Doss H. S., Butler Traditional H. S., Central H. S., Fairdale H. S., Shawnee H. S., Hawthorne Elementary, Pitt Academy, Fairdale Elementary, Conway Middle School, Norton Academy, Brown School, Eastern H. S., Jeffersonville H. S., Lincoln Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Jacobs Elementary, Hazelwood Elementary, Rutherford Elementary, Sacred Heart Academy, Holy Rosary Academy, Roosevelt-Perry Elementary, St. Raphael School, Johnson Middle School, Wilder Elementary, St. Gabriel Academy, Kentucky Country Day, Crosby Middle School, and Wheeler Elementary.

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