Last year, the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival staked out a new home in Towsley Canyon.  This made it possible to provide a more theatrical setting for the Shakespeare in the Park performances, with bigger staging, lighting and sound for the production, and they reached a greater audience that ever before, entertaining more than 1,200 people in six performances.

This year, the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival is expanding. SCSF is beginning a new program, a new company to include high school students.  SCSF is beginning an Apprentice Company, a company comprised solely of high school students interested in all aspects of theatre and live events: performance, lighting, sound, costumes, management and front-of-house.

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The students in the Apprentice Company will work with the professional theatre artists for the production of “As You Like It,” lending support for the production on stage and off. In addition, the Apprentice Company will develop their own presentation for an exclusive performance during the festival.

“We are very excited to offer this program to the students of our valley,” said David Stears, the festival’s executive director.  “It is a great opportunity for students to learn from more experienced performers and theatre artists.

The Festival begins rehearsals May 28 and the production of “As You Like It” opens July 8. Performances will be held on weekends through July.

Participation in the Apprentice Company is free. However, enrollment is limited and restricted to high school students from the Santa Clarita Valley. The application deadline for the Apprentice Company is Friday, May 20.

For more information, students are advised to contact their high school drama teachers, or email the Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival at: info@scshakespearefest.org. Follow the festival on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SCShakespeareFest