Young Company

2021 – 2022

Our Contemporary Company will present Luna, by Ramon Esquivel, directed by Kris Jennings. Our touring schedule can be found here, and the teacher’s packet can be found here.

Soledad is the daughter of migrant farm workers and is constantly changing homes and is the new girl at one school after another. Frustrated, Soledad turns inward, finding comfort in books, in the stars, and in the company of the friendly moon, Luna. Soledad realizes that no matter where she moves with her family, Luna is always there. She and Luna agree to be best friends, and for the first time in her life, Soledad feels the joy of friendship. When the possibility of new, human friends occurs, Luna encourages Soledad to reach out, saying, “Taking risks is hard to do, but taking risks builds courage, too.” While Soledad’s story is shaped by her family’s circumstances, it will resonate with anyone who has wondered, “How do I make—and hold on to—a good friend?”

Shakespeare

This year our Shakespeare Company will present As You Like It, directed by Tony Gunn.

Join us for a romp in the Forest of Arden where some well-loved characters have been banished. Rosalind, disguised as a boy for safety, flees the court of the evil duke with her cousin and finds her crush, Orlando, in the forest. She proceeds to train him in the ways of courtship. Other characters meet and fall in and out of love in the forest while the villains learn to change their ways. One of Shakespeare’s popular comedies full of mistaken identities, love, friendship, and reconciliation.

This play is presented for 4^th grade and up.

The cost for the show is $350.

As You Like It is now booking for February through April 2022.

This production includes a free, 45-minute post-show workshop for 6^th graders.

Please contact Rebeca by email at rebeca_wallin@byu.edu or call her at (801) 422-4589 to reserve a date or receive further information.

*We are aware that Covid is a constantly changing situation. We are working on instituting safety protocols and welcome input from you regarding safety policies in your school. You will not be expected to pay for a performance until after it has occurred in case of unavoidable cancellations.

YOUNG COMPANY HISTORY

PERICLES 

– WINTER 2021

Once again, the situation in our world prevented our usual BYU Young Company tour for Winter Semester. However, this past Winter included exciting and fun plans to replace our usual Shakespeare offering for schools. We created a short (15-20 minute) retelling of Shakespeare’s adventure play Pericles which was recorded and available for schools to view, and can be accessed on YouTube. This performance will be suitable for grades 2-6. For the study guide for this show, go here.

To accompany the performance, we offered live, Zoom workshops for 6th grade classes to participate in after they watched Pericles. These workshops focused on learning about Shakespeare with an emphasis on Shakespearian acting. Students participated on screen in a classroom setting, or by Zooming in from home. Several teaching artists were be available, so entire 6th grades were able to participate in the workshops.

AS FAST AS WORDS COULD FLY

– FALL 2020

Instead of our usual live performances, Young Company offered Theatre based workshops over Zoom. During the Fall of 2021, we taught workshops for 5th graders focused on issues of racism, based on the book As Fast as Words Could Fly by Pamela M. Tuck. A recording of these theatre workshops can be accessed here.

You can see a recorded reading of the book here.

And you can see the study guide we created to go along with the book and workshop here.

HAMLET

– WINTER 2020

To skate or not to skate, that is the question! What do YouTubers, skateboarders, and Shakespeare have in common? Find out with Young Company’s vibrant adaptation of Hamlet. The context is modern, but the dialogue is just as the Bard wrote it. As Hamlet, Ophelia, and their friends hit the streets, they ask the soul-searching questions we all face. By William Shakespeare. Adapted and directed by Teresa Love. Click to download the study guide for Hamlet. For a schedule of performances, click here.

WITH TWO WINGS

–FALL 2019

This fall Young Company will present the award-winning new work, based loosely on the myth of Icarus and Daedalus, which is perfect for all ages. Nestled in a forest, far from civilization, flightless young Lyf is on the cusp of life-changing choices. Your whole family will find hope in this story of learning to let go and gaining the courage to fly. You can find the teacher’s packet for With Two Wings here. The schedule of performances can be found here.

COMEDY OF ERRORS

–WINTER 2019

This year our Shakespeare Company will present The Comedy of Errors.

Shakespeare’s slapstick comedy full of hilarious mistaken identities and mishaps. Be prepared to laugh until you cry at this farce! Two sets of twins are separated at birth – now grown up, will they find each other at last or will the whole town run mad with confusion? Students will develop a whole new appreciation for Shakespeare as they cheer for their favorite twin and marvel as each “error” becomes more ridiculous. Click to download the study guide for Comedy of Errors. For a schedule of performances, click here.

THE WORLD’S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN 

– FALL 2018

This fall, our Contemporary Company will present The World’s Strongest Librarian, directed by Adam Houghton. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne, incumbent librarian for the Salt Lake City public library, the play was written by Jeff Gottesfeld and Elizabeth Wong. The play chronicles Hanagarne’s efforts to teach others the importance of kindness and learning. The play will be performed at the Salt Lake City Public Library as a tribute to Josh, who continues to work there as a librarian. Click to download the study guide for The World’s Strongest Librarian. For a schedule of performances, click here.

The World’s Strongest Librarian will tour from October 2 – December 3, 2018.

ROMEO Y JULIETA 

– WINTER 2018

This year our Shakespeare Company will present Romeo y Julieta, adapted and directed by Julia Ashworth. Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy will be coming to you this year with an exciting twist. Romeo y Julieta is a bi-lingual production that will be performed in English and Spanish. The long standing feud between the Montagues and Capulets causes tragic results for the young star-crossed lovers. Miscommunication between young people in the play and the adults in their lives also contributes to the tragic outcomes. This production will highlight the role communication plays in the lives of Romeo and Julieta. Don’t miss this opportunity to expose your students to a classic. Click to download the study guide for Romeo y Julieta. (For Spanish translation of study guide, click here.)

Romeo y Julieta toured from February 8 – April 17, 2018

THE GLORIOUS EMPORIUM

– FALL 2017

Our Contemporary Company will present The Glorious Story Emporium, directed by Patrick Livingston and created by Patrick, the cast, and your students! The Glorious Story Emporium is a troupe of traveling storytellers who have collected tales from all over the world. Using anything and everything available to them they create stories right before your eyes. Using improvisation, costume, props and imagination, each show is unique and told using suggestions from the audience. The result is a brand new fairytale, created in the moment that exists only for the moment with those who watched and contributed and created – The Glorious Story Emporium. Click to download the study guide for The Glorious Story Emporium.

The Glorious Story Emporium toured from October 3 2017 through December 14, 2017.

TWELFTH NIGHT

– WINTER 2016

This year our Shakespeare Company will present Twelfth Night, adapted and directed by Megan Sanborn Jones. Rip-roaring action and high-faultin’ song and dance numbers meet Shakespeare’s poetry in this cowboy version of Twelfth Night that encourages audience members of all ages to look beneath outward appearances and value people. So grab your hats, buckle on your spurs, and come on over for the best little Shakespeare show in the West.

WATER SINGS BLUE – 

FALL 2015

Our Contemporary Company will present Water Sings Blue, based on the Kate Coombs’ award winning poetry book of the same name, directed by Teresa Dayley Love. Water Sings Blue celebrates the shore and the deep of the ocean through poetry and motion. We meet characters on the beach and characters in the sea. We become involved in their stories as we are invited to play in the sand and splash in the waves. Actors speak the poetry, but the show is highly interactive and imaginative, with lots of playful give and take between performers and the audience in this in-the-round staging. Because, bottom line, a day at the beach is full of fun! Click to download the tour schedule and the study guide for Water Sings Blue. 

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM 2015

This year our Shakespeare Company will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and directed by Nat Reed. The Bard’s popular comedy about the struggles of love comes to life at the hands—or, rather, the strings—of a troupe of handmade marionettes. Children will be captivated as they watch the antics of fairies and humans in one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Click here to download the study guide for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and click here to download the tour schedule.

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE 2014

Our Contemporary Company will present The Fisherman and His Wife, adapted from the Grimm brothers’ story by Larry and Vivian Snipes, directed by Nestor Bravo Goldsmith. This tale of the fisherman who catches an enchanted fish and uses his three wishes to secure happiness for his wife is a delightful play that taps into the magic of the imagination through clever storytelling and audience participation. Children will learn that harmony and sensibility are better than greed and the never ending thirst for more.
Click here to download the study guide for The Fisherman and His Wife, and click here to download the tour schedule. The lesson plan for the workshop for 3rd graders is also available.

CYMBELINE 2014

Fairy tale or mystery–how will you choose to see this fiction unfold? Shakespeare’s action-packed romance gets the double treatment (and a happy ending!) in two special adaptations for young people: fairy tale (great for youngsters) or noir mystery (perfect for the young-at-heart). Exploring the Bard’s themes of mistaken identity, innocence wronged, and jealousy, Cymbeline tells the story of a princess in a pickle, her banished husband, a villainous queen, and lots of mayhem in Britain. Caution–audience participation ahead!
Click here to download the study guide for Cymbeline, and click here to download the tour schedule.

Cymbeline performed January 30 – February 7 2014.

THE NIGHTINGALE 2013

The majesty, grace, and poetic ritual of ancient China are vividly depicted in this engrossing tale of the emperor who neglects the lyrical song of a humble nightingale for the artificial splendor of a mechanical bird. Performed in English and Mandarin and influenced by the traditions of Peking Opera, The Nightingale invites us to ponder the true worth of the things we value most. “Do not be deceived by glitter and show. A true voice and a gentle heart are all you will ever need.”
Click here to download the study guide for The Nightingale, and click here to download the tour schedule.

The Nightingale performed September 27 – October 12 2013.