Shakespeare on the Fox is a unique partnership linking the cities and towns of the Fox River Valley (see map) in northeast Wisconsin.
Our Mission
To enrich and enliven the communities of the Fox River Valley through experiencing Shakespeare!
How are we doing this?
Performances:
In fall of 2007 the partners will be joined by the AandBC Theatre Company of London directed by Gregory Thompson for a two-week residency in the Fox Valley. The AandBC Company will present 11 performances of The Tempest in various locations throughout the valley.
The American Players Theatre will present The Merchant of Venice at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
The Fox Valley Symphony will present Sibelius’ The Tempest at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.
Participation and collaboration:
We are creating and encouraging community engagement programs designed to make Shakespeare a member of our community.
Lectures, discussions, demonstrations, workshops, other performances and interactive programs:
We have planned a series of events throughout the valley to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone.
Special programs for university students, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and community members.
In Summary
Both of the plays will provide openings for school children, university students, and members of the community at large to join in discussions about our own tendencies to draw boundaries excluding those we consider as “other.” In the Fox River Valley, recent growth of Hmong and Hispanic populations, along with the long-standing Native American population, have created a compelling need for groups with different backgrounds and ethnicities to learn to embrace the differences in our cultures.
Both The Tempest and The Merchant of Venice also consider the tensions in family relationships, particularly those between men and their children. In The Tempest, Shakespeare explores family interaction with the relationships between Alonso and his son Ferdinand and Prospero and his daughter Miranda, as well as the relationship between the siblings Prospero and Alonso. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare gives us the primary example of the father/daughter relationship with Shylock and his daughter Jessica, but also with Portia and her father who is deceased but who nevertheless controls his daughter’s marriage choice. Through the relationships between fathers and daughters, Shakespeare investigates gender issues such as marriage customs and the rights of a father to decide his daughter’s future. In both plays Shakespeare raises questions about gender and the rights of women in his culture. These issues continue to resonate in our contemporary culture, which still perpetuates gender stereotypes and inequities in spite of attempts to abolish them. The plays also consider generational differences with the younger characters often in rebellion against older characters – not unlike our own culture, in which parents still want to exert some influence on their adult childrens’ lives, while those children want to create their own identities.
Further Background on Shakespeare on the Fox
