Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Kid-Friendly Two Gents Tours Region

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village, Nev., will be taking an hour-long adaptation of its current production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona on a local tour, providing free, family-friendly performances for residents in the Reno and Lake Tahoe area.

This tour is presented as part of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival's D.G.Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program. The 2012 D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare production, an adaptation of the Festival's mainstage offering, is designed with the young audience member in mind and runs July 29–August 9 at a variety of outdoor venues throughout the Reno and Lake Tahoe region.

“With a cast comprised of professional actors and infused with local middle and high school students, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival's D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program offers children and families in Reno–Tahoe and Carson area a fun and interactive performance of one of Shakespeare's great comedies and is proof of the Festival's commitment to educational outreach within our community,” Joe Atack, the education director for the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, said in a company press release.

Now in its 11th year, the D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program has entertained more than 50,000 children and their families. Each year, the program affords aspiring young actors the opportunity to work with theater artists in a professional environment and perform at multiple venues throughout the community. Over a four-week period, with eight-hour days, the students receive hands-on experience in acting, movement, voice, and stage craft. In addition to the student performers, the cast also includes professional actors, designers and stage managers.

To reserve free Young Shakespeare tickets call 800-74-SHOWS or visit www.LakeTahoeShakespeare.com. Groups of 10 or more may call 775-832-1616.

Following is the 2012 D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program performance calendar for The Two Gentlemen of Verona:

July 30—CVIC Hall, Minden, Nev., 10 a.m.

July 31—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev., 10 a.m.

August 1—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev., 10 a.m.

August 2—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev.. 10 a.m.

August 3—To be announced.

August 4—Valhalla Boathouse Theatre, Tahoe Tallac, Calif., 11 a.m.

August 4—Valhalla Boathouse Theatre, Tahoe Tallac, Calif., 2 p.m.

August 6—Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheatre, Bartley Ranch, Reno, Nev., 7:30 p.m.

August 7—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev., 10 a.m.

August 8—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev., 10 a.m.

August 9—Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor State Park, Nev., 10 a.m.

August 10—To be announced.

June 21, 2012

If you have Shakespearean news to share, e-mail editorial@shakespeareances.com