One of Shakespeare’s most popular and charming comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, began its Globe For All tour, at Castle Park Elementary in Chula Vista. Globe for All is an exciting way to bring the joys and thrills of live, professional Shakespeare to a community who may not have experienced theater before. Now in its second year, Globe for All, a program of The Old Globe, brings professional Shakespeare directly to diverse, multigenerational audiences in underserved communities around San Diego County. It helps mitigate real and perceived barriers to theater participation, including cost, transportation, accessibility, and unfamiliarity of attending a theater performance.
Globe for All partnered with South Bay Community Services, Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood (CVPromise) and Castle Park Elementary to bring this enchanting romantic comedy – directed by renowned Shakespearean Rob Melrose and a cast of local professional actors – onto the elementary campus.
Brought to life in the school’s multi-purpose room, the stage was set in the round, providing about 200 parents and students an intimate up-close experience of live performance. For many, this was the first experience seeing a piece of live theatre.
“The setting make it so that you are not only close to the actors, but you can also easily see our students in the audience and their reactions,”CVPromise Program Director Jose Mireles said.“It was gratifying to see students and parents so deeply engaged in the show and just having the time of their life.
Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent Fransico Escobedo, CVESD School Board President Glendora M. Tremper, CVESD Executive Director Student, Family & Community Services Nancy Kerwin, The Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and board members of The Old Globe also attended the performance.
In addition to providing the community with free access to professional performances of Shakespeare, Globe for All enriches the theatre experience by offering free workshops and other activities. At Castle Park Elementary, Globe for All in partnership with South Bay Community Services, Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood, Chula Vista Elementary School District and Castle Park Elementary, hosted a special dinner on the school’s black top. The setting, illuminated by floodlights provided by school parents, was elegant and filled with community spirit. Tables were decorated with school color table clothes and parent crafted-centerpieces that reflected a Shakespearean evening. Castle Park Elementary’s music class played during dinner. In addition, a feature mask-making workshop was held; these masks were incorporated into the show, making audiences part of the action.
The Old Globes artistic teachers provided theater workshops for Castle Park Elementary’s younger students, grades kindergarten to second. Students participated in art projects and learned about theater and Shakespeare through engaging activities.
“It’s our core conviction that theatre in general, and Shakespeare in particular, are necessary to living a full and rich life, and yet we recognize that some in our city either don’t know about the work we do or cannot enjoy regular access to it.” said The Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “It is therefore our obligation to help overcome whatever barriers—economic, geographical, and cultural—stand between us and the widest possible cross section of our city.”
Globe for All visits locations as varied as military bases, recreation centers, libraries, centers for the elderly, homeless shelters, and correctional facilities. This was the first production held in Chula Vista and the only one being held on a school campus this year.
“We are grateful to the community-based organizations that are partnering with us and to the civic-minded philanthropies that are supporting this effort,” Edelstein said.
Chula Vista Promise Neighborhood (CVPromise) is coordinated by South Bay Community Services and is proud to partner with Castle Park Elementary, Castle Park Middle, Castle Park High School, Hilltop Middle and Hilltop High School to bring new opportunities and pathways of success for their students and families. For more information, please visit CVPromise.org or call 619-422-5005.
