Past Tours

"THE KIDS THAT I HAVE SEEN TODAY JUST LOVED IT SO MUCH. THEY SAID THAT THEY FINALLY UNDERSTOOD SHAKESPEARE!"

FAQs FOR Schools

How long is the show?

Each season, our performances have ranged from 50 – 75 minutes
For our May 2022 tour, our performance of Comedy of Errors runs 50 minutes. It's followed by a cast talk-back about themes surrounding the play and what it's like to be a professional performer.

What does Mended Wing Theatre Co. need to perform?

Our performance requires two things: space and time. We perform in theatre spaces, gyms, lunch halls, classrooms or even outside.
We use portable set pieces, small props and a ton of vocal and kinetic energy
We do not require any sound or electrical equipment

Who should attend a show?

Our shows are for audience members of all ages and backgrounds. We cater to K-12 students, as well as young adults and adults in the greater community as part of our Shakespeare in the Park performances.
We welcome as many classes and teachers as can attend. We love having drama students in our audience, but our shows are not strictly for the theatrically-inclined.

Will my students understand Shakespeare?

While we cannot guarantee that your students will understand each individual word, it is the goal of our dynamic staging that plot and character dilemmas are clear. We also emphasize clarity of voice in the actor, and making sure they know what they're saying (a great help to being understood!)

What precautions is Mended Wing Theatre Co. taking against COVID-19?

Our cast and crew are 100% vaccinated
We practice safe distancing from faculty and students
We wear masks while setting up the show and during the talk-backs. However, due to the need to be heard and understood on stage, our performers will have to be unmasked during the performance itself.

How much does a show cost?

For our May 2022 tour, our rate per performance is $333
This fee helps cover actor stipends as well as housing, food, gas, props and costumes for our tours

PAST TOURS

2020 partnership with Ccpac – MAcbeth

In March 2020, we partnered with Clayton County Performing Arts Center to produce a five-actor Macbeth for students from around Clayton County.

This production marked many firsts: our first non-touring show, our first show with actors who weren't college students at UNCSA, and our first tragedy.

As part of our partnership CCPAC, Mended Wing teaching artists Wade Hollomon and Emmet Temple lead a class on speaking Shakespeare at CCPAC the Monday before performances.

2019 Tour – Twelfth Night

May 2019 saw us back on the road with a seven-actor cut of Twelfth Night, which we toured to eighteen schools and over 3,000 students across North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Younger audiences were delighted by the foolish antics of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, dancing and drumming and causing a ruckus. High schoolers often sympathized with the tangled emotions of Viola and Olivia, Orsino and Sebastian.

2018 tour – Two Gentlemen of Verona

In May 2018, we took a six-actor adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona to middle and high schools in Atlanta, Brunswick, Macon, and Miami. In our rehearsal process, we blended text analysis with physical clowning and mask work to create a kinetic and playful show that maintained the beauty of Shakespeare's language. Here's what the teachers who helped us organize the tour in their schools said:

We loved having you guys! The kids that I have seen today just loved it so much, especially our international students. They said that they finally understood Shakespeare!

I can't fully express how amazing it was to see our youth smiling, laughing and having fun during the performance. You all provided them with a time to relax and let go, which is huge. The mission of Mended Wing is truly inspiring and we are happy to have the opportunity to be a part of it.

[The students] specifically talked about how they liked how often you guys extended the performance space into the house, how you played multiple characters but they could easily follow who each separate character was, and they loved the energy you brought to the performance.

We are SO VERY HAPPY to be included in your tour. The students are still talking about the play. Even the eighth graders whom I seldom get to see, will let me know how fun it was when we do happen to pass in the hallway during lunch transitions, and some have jokingly named me 'Mrs. Shakespeare.' Mended Wing Theatre has touched our school, and I feel blessed that you are all willing to continue to visit. You all will forevermore be welcome here in this little school in the middle of Georgia. Thank you!

2017 Tour – A Midsummer Night's Dream

For our first tour, in spring 2017, we visited schools in Atlanta, Macon, and Brunswick Georgia with a tour of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This was most of the company members' first time working on a show predominantly aimed at younger audiences that focused heavily on storytelling in direct terms so that language could be made clear with action. We began the process with the belief that students of middle-school-age and up would be engaged by Shakespeare, rather than bored or mystified. This belief was confirmed in every show we have done since!

Teachers from the 2017 tour reached out to us after, and encouraged us to organize a second tour. Here are some of the messages that inspired us to keep expanding:

I cannot begin to tell you how much our students and faculty enjoyed your performance. Thank you for producing Shakespeare in a way that was both accessible and entertaining for our students!

I want to thank you on behalf of the entire department. I appreciate you sharing your talents, love for theatre and amazing insights. Our students truly appreciated it. We look forward to working with you in the future.

The kids were really inspired by your visit, and they loved the work. And for me, it was awesome to have the things I tell them all the time to become new to them!

Thank-you all for the splendid performance. The students were engaged and having a great time watching you guys perform…We look forward to the next performance.