WORKING TOGETHER: “OUR HAMLET,” KENT STATE AND THE DUBOIS FAMILY FOUNDATION
When the Kent State School of Theatre and Dance completed the recent renovation of its facilities (now known as “The Roe Green Center for the Performing Arts” in recognition of Roe Green, its principle and most generous benefactor), The DuBois Family Foundation was asked to provide a sneak preview to citizens of the City of Kent.
From that event on October 1, 2010, the School’s effort to present their gift as an asset to be shared by the entire geographic region continues. The School has a well-established view that without an audience, the circle that symbolizes the essence of the performing arts is incomplete. With a production of “Hamlet” then in sight, the “Our Hamlet” project was born.
The primary interest of the School of Theatre and Dance is, naturally, showcasing its talented student actors and designers, and the development of an informed, prepared and engaged audience for their presentation of Hamlet in mid-April 2011. But with a multi-faceted masterpiece like Hamlet at its center, the project rapidly expanded to involve other parts of the University, including the English Department,School of Education, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University Libraries, the Alumni Association, and many other resources, making “Our Hamlet” an interdisciplinary juggernaut!
The character of the Kent community provided the other key element to success. Kent, Ohio, the Tree City, was a perfect place to plant the seeds of Ingensia and “Our Hamlet.” It is a community dedicated to the education of its citizens and people from around the world, and equally committed to becoming engaged in the use and development of its vast resources with vision, care, and a palpable spirit of cooperation and goodwill.
The entire community will gather to share their “Our Hamlet” experiences on April 13th at “Café Elsinore,” joined, via Internet cybercast by a large number of virtual participants from around the world! But all leads to the crowning event, the KSU production of what is widely considered the finest piece of dramatic literature ever conceived, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet!
