Chicago Shakespeare Slam: Final Bout

The Program

This year, Chicago Shakespeare Theater launches a new education program—the Chicago Shakespeare Slam—for teams representing fifty high schools from across the Chicago region. Saturday workshops kick off the program in the fall, where students and teachers learn and practice the building blocks of performing Shakespeare. Then, back at their respective schools, teams comprised of 2 to 8 students prepare two performance pieces to be showcased at a Regional Bout: the first, a scene from any play in Shakespeare’s canon that’s of interest to the team; and the second, a creative exploration inspired by one play that the entire Slam community is focusing on that year—the same play that CST is abridging and staging for our student audiences. The top-scoring teams at Regionals advance to perform in a Final Bout on Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater stage—with the entire Slam community there to cheer them on.

Chicago Shakespeare Slam is, first and foremost, an ensemble program—building community, first among the members of a school’s team, and second between the many schools’ teams participating across the Chicago region. Together, we’ll have the opportunity to dive deep into a shared text—and do so through an infinite number of lenses crafted out of students’ own imaginations.

The 2017 Chicago Shakespeare Slam community explores Shakespeare’s comedy of teen angst and love madness, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After Regionals and Finals come to a close in December, the community will reunite in the winter, meeting with cast members of our Midsummer Night’s Dream production, and over summer break enjoying Shakespeare performed in the parks. 

2017 Participating Schools

Education Team