ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN ARTS EDUCATION
Alabama Shakespeare Festival believes arts education fosters lifelong success by providing experiential lessons in critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, leadership, and character. Arts education is a critical component of ASF’s mission and its programming. ASF’s board and staff are dedicated to enriching the classroom and personal life experiences of students through theatre and the dramatic arts.
ASF meets this charge at a level of globally renowned excellence on its stages and through a multitude of educational programming and assets. This page offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the lives of students and educators are enriched by ASF’s world-class productions, camps, and classes.
2025-2026 ASF EDUCATION IMPACT REPORT
During the 2025-2026 season, Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Education and Engagement Department continued to make the arts more accessible to students, teachers, families, and communities across Alabama. Through student matinees, school residencies, summer camps, activated classroom workshops, community partnerships, sensory-inclusive programming, and workforce development initiatives, ASF continues to leverage professional theatre to provide meaningful educational experiences in our community.
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Theatre Arts Education Improves the Lives of Alabama Students and Strengthens Communities
For Jeff Glass, who teaches theatre arts at Wetumpka High School in Elmore County, his 10th grade English teacher and an ASF SchoolFest performance were instrumental in paving his path to changing the lives of more than 2,000 students over his 19-year career.
Unlocking Self-Discovery with Academy Classes and Summer Camps
ASF’s after-school Academy classes and summer camps foster self-esteem and self-expression outside of school for students in grades K–12. Students explore their creativity through acting exercises and the performance of an abridged Shakespeare play.
For ASF Academy teacher and Camp Instructor Sean Golson, giving young students the same opportunities for self-discovery and space for aspirations that ASF provided him is a rewarding challenge.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Students consistently attest to the benefits of their time in ASF Acting Academy classes and summer camps. They take home more than just stories about the fun they experienced in class. Students build confidence, learn new skills, and make friends, which helps them grow and thrive at home, in their communities, and in their schools.
Acting Academy
Elementary Grades Student Experiences
Karsten Reed
Academy & Camps Student
Local Youth Actor
Acting Academy
Upper Grades Student Experiences
ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL MANUFACTURES INSPIRATION
Alabama Shakespeare Festival celebrates the creative force in each child; in fact, ASF sparks it. As a professional producing theatre, everything on ASF’s stages is handmade in the theatre’s shops and studios. This video about the creation of ASF’s 2022 production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores the time and skill required to manufacture inspiration.