Rochester-area youth are currently rehearsing for a unique production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest as part of “Shakespeare from the Streets,” a project of Hillside’s Reinvesting in Youth program.
Shakespeare’s works involve such universal themes as justice and revenge, the search for power, family dynamics, the relationship of grief to violence and the power of love and redemption. Using the text of the play, the teen performers in the “Shakespeare from the Streets” project are tapping into those themes and others, and learning to view and explore their own life situations through a theatrical lens.
RIY serves area youth who face juvenile delinquency charges or who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. The program helps these youth re-direct their emotions and energies toward more positive paths—improving their school attendance, their outlook for the future, and their connections to positive role models and community resources.
RIY’s The Tempest will be presented at 6:30pm on Friday, April 12, in the auditorium of the Joseph C. Wilson Foundation Academy, 200 Genesee St. in Rochester. Admission is free and open to the public.