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Delaware Shakespeare brings the Bard to the people in its Community Tour

Actors Jameka Monet Wilson as Perdita and Tyler S. Elliot as Florizel at the sheep shearing in The WInter’s Tale. (Director Abby Weissman)
Bob Sweeney
Actors Jameka Monet Wilson as Perdita and Tyler S. Elliot as Florizel at the sheep shearing in The WInter’s Tale. (Director Abby Weissman)

Delaware Shakespeare is taking the work of the Bard on the road, including to some unexpected places.

The company presented Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at a dozen locations around the state this month, including libraries, churches, and community centers. But, Del Shakes Artistic Director Mariah Ghant says some of the most rewarding performances are presented at hospitals and correctional facilities.

“We went to Baylor Women's prison earlier last week," she said. "The women came up to us afterwards and some of them were like, ‘I've been coming to see this show every time you all have brought a show,’ and it's just something they really look forward to. So it's really nice and special to be able to be part of that.”

Ghant adds there’s still a vital place for Shakespeare in our culture.

“The story of The Winter's Tale - there are moments of jealousy, there are moments of relationships trying to be rebonded, and I think those are things that so many people can relate to. You might not be a king and a queen from a story 400 years ago, but you can see those avenues where you yourself are able to line up to it," Ghant said.

Del Shakes has been putting on fall tours since 2016, except during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company goes back on the road in late October for Shakespeare, Poe, and Fiends - featuring poetry, prose, and scenes from Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and others in Lewes and Wilmington.

Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Martin Matheny comes to Delaware Public Media from WUGA in Athens, GA. Over his 12 years there, he served as a classical music host, program director, and the lead reporter on state and local government. In 2022, he took over as WUGA's local host of Morning Edition, where he discovered the joy of waking up very early in the morning.