As a Cal Shaker, you’re an insider—and we’ve got a truly “inside Cal Shakes” opportunity for you: Volunteer at Cal Shakes’ Oct. 5 Student Discovery Matinee performance of Hamlet.

WHAT IS IT? Student Discovery matinees are special weekday performances specifically for school groups. Students travel from all over the Bay Area for a morning of educational activities; an 11am performance of the play; and a post-show Q&A with actors. Many students attending come from low-income, underserved schools, and experience this (free) field trip as a tremendously special adventure.

WHY AM I NEEDED? Volunteers serve a special breakfast to actors and technicians, who have a long two-show day; assist staff in organizing arriving school-groups; watch Teaching Artists lead kids in hands-on artistic learning exercises in our scenic eucalyptus groves; and help direct groups into the theater.

WHERE: Cal Shakes’ Bruns Amphitheater, Orinda

WHEN: Friday, Oct 5, 2012
The day begins at 8:30am and winds down at 3pm; but you’re free to leave at several different points throughout the day, as you need—read on for details.

DETAILS: There are four possible volunteer shifts. All begin at 8:30am with a quick orientation, and each ends at a different time.

1. SHORTEST SHIFT, 8:30–9:30am. Bring a contribution for the artists’ breakfast—a hot casserole, precooked bacon, fruit salad—you name it, it will be appreciated. Stay just long enough to get a peek behind the Cal Shakes scenes and enjoy the artists’ gratitude and delight in your culinary contribution.

2. SHORT SHIFT, 8:30–11am. Bring a contribution for breakfast. After meeting the artists, assist Cal Shakes staff in welcoming arriving students groups at the base of the Bruns Amphitheater slope; then escort students to groves; and subsequently into the theater. Be on your way just before 11am, as the performance begins.

3. THE PLAY’S THE THING SHIFT, 8:30am–12:45pm. Bring a contribution for breakfast (or don’t—you’ll still be welcome). Assist staff in shepherding students, and watch the first act of Hamlet. Slip out at intermission.

4. I’M ALL IN! SHIFT, 8:30am–3pm. Bring breakfast (or don’t); assist kids; see the entire play; watch the amazing post-show dialogue between the actors and their young audience; and leave filled with joy. Seriously.

RSVP to shakers@calshakes.org. Please let us know how long you will stay, what you might bring for breakfast, and whether you’re coming solo, bringing a friend, or riding in with a full posse. We can’t wait to see you at the theater!

We are pleased to announce announced that we are one of 42 nonprofit, professional theater companies that will receive a grant of $25,000 to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation from August 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.  The National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with Arts Midwest, presents Shakespeare for a New Generation, bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to middle- and high-school students in communities across the United States. This is the tenth year of the program, the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history.

“This is the seventh year in a row we have been recipients of a Shakespeare for a New Generation grant, and we are absolutely thrilled,” says Cal Shakes Managing Director Susie Falk. “This grant provides crucial funding for our Student Discovery program, which introduces thousands of low-income students to Shakespeare each year, both in classrooms and at live performances at our Theater. For many of these students, it is their most significant arts experience in the school year. We are grateful for the continued support from the NEA and Arts Midwest, and honored to have the value and impact of our Student Discovery program recognized in this way.”

We will present Student Discovery matinee productions of Hamlet, directed by Liesl Tommy, attracting at least 3,270 middle and high school students from 46 Bay Area schools. Accompanying pre- and post-performance workshops and residencies will serve up to 500 of those students, primarily from low-income communities. Our annual fall Educator’s Night will combine complimentary tickets to a performance with a two-hour professional development workshop for teachers.

To date, more than 94 of the nation’s theater companies have taken part in the NEA’s Shakespeare program since its inception and participating theater companies have presented 30 of Shakespeare’s works through 7,000 performances and 17,000 educational activities at more than 5,500 schools in 2,800 communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

For more information about Cal Shakes’ education programs, visit calshakes.org/education or contact Director of Artistic Learning Trish Tillman at ttillman@calshakes.org or 510.548.3422 x113. For more information about our 2012 season, contact Marilyn Langbehn, Marketing and PR Manager, at mlangbehn@calshakes.org or 510.809.3290; or visit calshakes.org.

A 2011 student in performance; photo by Jay Yamada

Summer Shakespeare Conservatory performances—abridged plays performed by youth age 8 to 18—are a wonderful, low-cost way to introduce younger theatergoers to Shakespeare.

The schedule for the remainder of the 2012′s performances is below, along with ticketing and other information.

FIVE-WEEK CONSERVATORY PERFORMANCES
Location: Bentley Upper School, 1000 Upper Happy Valley Rd, Lafayette
Tickets: $8 each, or $5 for students and seniors in advance ($2 more day of); you may also purchase an all-day performance pass for $25. To purchase, click here and select your performance from the drop-down menu. Performances are sorted by the number of weeks in the conservatory session.

Friday, July 20
Merry Kinsmen in The Tempest 10am
Noble Knaves in King Lear 11:30am
Riotous Knights in Hamlet 1pm
Fortune Artists  in The Tempest 2:30pm
The Queen’s Own in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 6pm

Saturday, July 21
Merry Kinsmen in The Tempest 10am
Noble Knaves in King Lear 11:30am
Fortune Artists in The Tempest 1pm
Riotous Knights in Hamlet 2:30pm
The Queen’s Own in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 5pm

THREE-WEEK CONSERVATORY PERFORMANCES
Location: Holy Names High School, 4660 Harbord Drive, Oakland
Tickets: $8 each, or $5 for students and seniors in advance ($2 more day of); you may also purchase an all-day performance pass for $15. To purchase, click here and select your performance from the drop-down menu. Performances are sorted by the number of weeks in the conservatory session.

Friday, July 27
Merry Kinsmen in The Comedy of Errors 10am
Riotous Knights in Macbeth 11:30am
The Queen’s Own in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1:30pm

TWO-WEEK CONSERVATORY PERFORMANCES
Location: Bentley School, 1000 Upper Happy Valley Rd, Lafayette
Tickets: $8 each, or $5 for students and seniors in advance ($2 more day of). To purchase, click here and select your performance from the drop-down menu. Performances are sorted by the number of weeks in the conservatory session.

Friday, August 3
Merry Kinsmen in Romeo and Juliet 10am
Noble Knaves in King Lear 11am
Riotous Knights in The Comedy of Errors 12pm
Fortune Artists  in Hamlet 1pm
The Queen’s Own in Macbeth 2pm

New Cal Shakes Board President Paul L. "Buddy" Warner

California Shakespeare Theater today announced the election of San Francisco attorney Paul “Buddy” L. Warner as President of the Board of Directors. Mr. Warner, who joined the board in 2010, replaces outgoing president David Goldsmith, who served five one-year terms.

“My goal is to build on the important work done by David and his predecessors which has assisted our professional staff in making Cal Shakes a nationally recognized theater company,” said Mr. Warner. “Cal Shakes will continue to present the highest quality performances of both Shakespeare and the classics. We will also continue and expand our Artistic Learning program which provides a valuable theater learning experience to many underserved communities in the Bay Area”

Mr. Warner is a partner with Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP, with a practice specializing in commercial litigation and trials. He is the author of numerous articles on civil procedure, class actions, arbitration, and legal ethics and tactics, and was named one of the Top Attorneys in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers 2004-2011. Mr. Warner lives in Berkeley, and also sits on the board of Tehiyah Day School. He and his wife Jodi are long-time Cal Shakes supporters who, according to Mr. Warner, “have not missed a production since Cal Shakes moved to Orinda in 1991.”

“I am so grateful for the steady and sure guidance that outgoing President David Goldsmith provided over the past few years — a period of national economic turbulence,” commented Managing Director Susie Falk. “Cal Shakes has emerged with a renovated home, and greater organizational and financial stability, We are now poised for our next chapter of growth, and I am thrilled that Buddy will be at the helm with his significant board experience, professional expertise, and irrepressible enthusiasm for the organization. I know our board is in excellent hands.”

The 2012 slate of officers and their cities of residence are as follows:

• President: Buddy Warner, partner with Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (Berkeley)
• Vice-President: Kate Stechschulte, architect (Berkeley)
• Vice-President: Alan E. Schnur, Ph.D., founding partner of Schnur Consulting Group (Orinda)
• Vice-President (ex-officio): Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director (Oakland)
• Vice-President (ex-officio): Susie Falk, Managing Director (Berkeley)
• Secretary: Jean Simpson, retired educator and civic worker (Piedmont)
• Treasurer: Jay Yamada, civic leader (San Lorenzo)
• Immediate Past President: David Goldsmith, business consultant/health care management, (Orinda)

Newly-elected members of the Cal Shakes’ Board include:

• Ellen Dale is a long-time civic leader whose passion for the arts was instrumental in the creation of Cal Shakes’ permanent home at the Bruns Amphitheater in 1991, and most recently in the 2010 capital campaign to renovate the site. A native San Franciscan, Ms. Dale graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Psychology. She and Joffa, her husband of 45 years, have lived in Orinda since 2000 in a home designed by their daughter. Prior to 2000, they lived in Moraga for 28 years where they raised their three children.

• Erin Jaeb is a commercial photographer with a background in fashion, beauty and architecture, and a current emphasis on fine art photography. She serves as artistic director for the marketing materials of her family-owned business, Emerald Packaging, Inc., one of the largest produce packaging suppliers in the United States. Ms. Jaeb, her husband, and their three children make their home in Oakland, CA. 
• Marshall Kido holds a B.A. in journalism from San Francisco State University, has worked in the banking industry in California since 1977, first with Home Savings of America, followed by eight years as Area Sales Manager for Citibank. He currently serves as the Division Segment Manager at City National Bank in Walnut Creek.

Additional members of the Board are:

• Terry Bush, Director, Q Builders (Walnut Creek)
• Michael Cedars, M.D., Plastic Surgeon, Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center (Orinda)
• Phil Chernin, Certified Public Accountant (Lafayette)
• Joshua Cohen, Attorney, Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP (Walnut Creek)
• Ed Del Beccaro, Managing Director, Grub and Ellis (Danville)
• Joseph DiPrisco, Ph.D., author/educator (Berkeley)
• Sonetta Hanson, yoga instructor and clothing designer (Orinda)
• Tony Kallingal, Vice President/Region Manager, Mechanics Bank (San Ramon)
• David Lawrence, retired, Private Client Services Manager, City National Bank (San Ramon)
• Richard E. Norris, Partner, Archer Norris (Walnut Creek)
• James Roethe, Arbitrator/Mediator, J. Roethe ADR Services; former General Counsel of Bank of America, and partner Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (Orinda)
• Michael Ross, Adjunct Professor, University of California and University of Virginia Schools of Law (Orinda)
• Michelle Runyon, Vice President, Wealth Advisor, Wells Fargo Private Bank (Orinda)
• John Ruskin, Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. (Lafayette)
• Sharon Simpson, civic leader (Orinda)
• Frank Starn, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Pharmaceutical, McKesson Corporation (Lafayette)

December 2, 2011

Cal Shakes builds community. Our work—whether onstage, in classrooms, or in community settings—helps people of all ages discover and develop vital imaginative tools that improve lives and strengthen our society.

By giving to Cal Shakes this year, you will directly impact individuals  and communities, many of whom desperately need creative resources to survive, let alone thrive. You make a difference when you invest in Cal Shakes. You became a fundamental partner in our distinctive service: Fostering a vital culture of creativity that makes the Bay Area the most innovative, inclusive, and interesting super-neighborhood in our country.

Cal Shakes needs a major influx of donations in order to successfully meet our financial goals this year, and to ensure that we’re in the strongest position to meet the challenge of fulfilling our mission in 2012.

As government funding for the arts and arts education continues to decrease, many people are less and less able to access the creative tools and experiences that connect us as people and help our communities thrive. That’s where Cal Shakes comes in. And that is why I need your help, as our partner, to sustain and expand the work we do: building community through theater.

With your support for our Annual Fund, we can:

• Respond to the ever-growing demand for Cal Shakes arts education programs, and serve more Bay Area students.
• Ensure that future generations of artists and theatergoers—including your children and grandchildren—will be able to experience the beauty and power of Shakespeare and the classics.
• Create new outlets for marginalized voices, as Cal Shakes makes new American plays in collaboration with members of disparate Bay Area populations.

Your support makes the work of this Theater—your Theater—possible, and impacts thousands of people, many of whom would not have access to the arts or arts education without you.

Your investment in our work is an investment in building our community. Please make a 2011 contribution today.

Thank you for all that you do.

Sincerely,

 
Jonathan Moscone
Artistic Director

P.S. Click here to make your gift online; or to speak with someone personally, contact Donor Relations Coordinator Ian Larue at 510.548.3422 x107. Gifts can be made in installments.

P.P.S. By giving $100 or more in a 12-month period, you become eligible for benefits as a Cal Shakes Champion. If you’re already a Champion, increasing your gift may make you eligible for additional benefits.

Photo by Kevin Berne.