Dates: Jan. 16-25

Watch the special ABC Nightline feature of Shakespeare High featuring interviews of Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer, and some of our own young actors!

“Thank you for Shakespeare for bringing us all together” – Taco

Click here for the schedule.

Shakespeare isn’t an easy piece of theatrics for many performers today. If it’s handled badly, many of the Bard’s plays can seem hopelessly melodramatic.

The updates provided by Shakespeare High though knock the ball out of the park and the Bard can stop spinning in his grave.

Stephen Holden of the New York Times said, “Most of the performances shown are inventive and energetic, and you wish more were shared in the film, along with the rehearsals that produced them.”

“One teacher talks about the “natural high” of theater, and you can feel it throughout. The stories of the Emesibe twins and Luis suggest that whole movies could be made about their lives,” said Holden.

Read more here!

http://www.downtownindependent.com/

“Most of the performances shown are inventive and energetic, and you wish more were shared in the film, along with the rehearsals that produced them. One teacher talks about the “natural high” of theater, and you can feel it throughout. The stories of the Emesibe twins and Luis suggest that whole movies could be made about their lives.” -Stephen Holden, New York Times

“It’s also a marvelous demonstration of the way the arts enrich and expand lives that otherwise might be constrained by family and economic forces.” -Marshall Fine, The Huffington Post

“No matter how many you see, it’s impossible to remain unmoved by inspirational documentaries about teens overcoming the odds. Especially when they’re as compelling as this one.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, NY Daily News

“There won’t be a more inspiring or moving documentary made this year than Alex Rotaru’s powerful tribute to students besotted by the Bard.” -David Noh, Film Journal International

“And perhaps there truly is no dramatic substitute for a well-practiced and chilling performance of King Lear by seasoned veterans, but as the kids in Shakespeare High prove again and again, doing it their way seems like a hell of lot more fun.” -Robert Tumas, Slant Magazine

“The stories told are rich and compelling. Since the viewer begins to care for students at each of the competing schools, it is difficult to know which one to root for in the competition.” -Hannah Madans, Campus Circle

“It’s the work itself that survives — and creates and enables even competitions such as this one, which Mr. Rotaru has brought to the screen with enough energy and thought to make it worth your time.” -James van Maanen, Trust Movies

“Director Alex Rotaru is careful to assemble a cross-section of student subjects who hail from all walks of life, from former gangbangers, to athletes, to members of low-income families. What unites them is their passion for acting out centuries-old texts.” -Ethan Alter, Television Without Pity

“The hardest thing about this movie is realizing that some of the kids you come to like so much, and their teams who’ve worked so hard, are going to lose the competition. That’s the a bit of a reality check. Some seniors who won’t have the chance to compete again burst into tears when they realize their efforts are over, and they must move on. But they do so with so much more than they had going in to their Shakespeare experience.” – Jennifer Merin, About.com

“…The real stars here are the kids themselves – all chasing after a small shiny statue, and a much larger dream.”- Stephen Whitty, The Star Ledger

MENTIONS:

Variety

New York Post

Tribeca Film Festival interview with Director Alex Rotaru

The Weekend Warrior by Edward Douglas – ComingSoon.net

Romanian Cultural Institute of New York

MovieLine Giveway

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the director and selected producers and cast!

For more information about the premiere, please visit the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s website.

To buy tickets to the daily screenings March 9th-15, click HERE.

Shakespeare High is proud to be included in this program! To find more information about this program, please visit their website.