Shakespearience Performing Arts

Shakespearience Performing Arts A literacy program seeking to empower young people with the possibilities of communication

Shakespearience operates through three streams:
The School Experience
*An interactive workshop for students in Grades 3 through 12. Using a variety of age appropriate lesson plans, the program is capable of examining any play in the canon that the students are exploring. It is geared to work with approximately 40-65 students for one standard, seventy-five minute period

The Summer Experience
*Cert

ified teachers and actors, working with professionally trained Shakespearience artists, will rehearse a group of 12-14 participants in scenes from the Shakespearean canon, tied together by a theme. The After Hours Experience
*Certified teachers and actors, working with professionally trained Shakespearience artists, rehearse with a group of 12-16 participants, in scenes from the Shakespearean canon, tied together by a theme. The intensive rehearsal process will culminate with a presentation for family and friends on the final day of the program at a professional theatre in downtown Toronto.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…” Magic happens when a shy adolescent steps out of their comfort zone and in...
06/03/2026

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…”

Magic happens when a shy adolescent steps out of their comfort zone and into a space where they are completely accepted.

Parents worry about their kids finding their footing, making real friends, and developing the critical social skills they need to navigate their way through a fast-changing world.

Our Shakespearience Performing Arts summer program isn’t just about inculcating an appreciation for Shakespeare's genius or even about overcoming the challenges presented by his heightened language - it’s an engaging, supportive community where young people learn the art of human connection and how to work effectively with one another.

We don't just build better actors. We build young people who are better with people.

If you have a teenager who is naturally quiet, hesitant about groups, or prefers to stay under the radar, take a look at what Emma had to say about her journey with us:

"When I started coming to Shakespearience I was quiet, I didn’t easily make new friends, and I was happier keeping to myself. I don’t keep coming back year after year just because of what I’ve learned in terms of acting. I have no interest in becoming an actor. I come back for the people I meet, the amount of fun I have, and the invaluable teamwork skills I learn. This program teaches you how rewarding it can be to really put in the effort to make something truly magical. It changed my life."
Emma Age 16

FINAL CALL FOR JULY 2026 APPLICATIONS:

✔️ Zero Cost: Tuition for all is completely funded through our generous corporate, foundation and individual donors
✔️ Invaluable Learning Outcomes: Develops character, confidence, communication and collaboration skills in an open, encouraging, FUN environment
✔️ No Acting Experience Necessary: Welcoming to students with a range of backgrounds in drama

We are down to our final remaining spots.

If you know a local parent whose teen needs a breakthrough this July, please tag them right now or forward this post.

👇 The application link is pinned in the first comment below! Fill it out before midnight! 👇

06/02/2026

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune…” — William Shakespeare

As the Bard advised, when a great opportunity comes along, you want to seize it before it's too late.

When parents -- and young people -- hear about the FREE Shakespearience Performing Arts summer experience, they often think it’s just for kids aspiring to be actors. But our alumni tell a different story.

Take a look at what Isaac, a math and science student heading into engineering, shared about his three years with us:

"As a student in a math and science program heading into engineering, I chose Shakespearience over technical summer programs. Why? Because the program develops a commitment to excellence -- one that demands planning, attention to detail, teamwork, and having a backup plan to your backup plan. Shakespearience gave me the tools to succeed not just as an actor, but in academic life." — Isaac E., Age 15

Swapping screen time for real-world collaboration builds the essential, transferable soft skills that future doctors, lawyers, and engineers need to thrive.

We have five or six seats left for our July program...offered FREE OF CHARGE in the interests of equity and fairness.

The link to details and registration is pinned in the first comment below!

06/02/2026

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” — William Shakespeare

What if one month this summer could completely change the trajectory for a student in Grades 7-12?

When parents look for something for their kids to do in the summer to get them off their computers and out of their rooms and see Shakespearience Performing Arts, they often think it’s strictly for "theater kids." But it’s actually a launchpad for shy or tech-focused youth who want to build essential, transferable soft skills.

This is a masterclass in enrichment disguised as a play. Over four weeks, our participants:

Learn to speak effectively and think on their feet.

Work as part of a focused, supportive team where everyone belongs.

Develop the discipline and resilience required for future leadership roles.

These are the assets that serve students in school presentations, university interviews, and future careers.

Don't just take our word for it. Look at what happened when one mom took a chance and signed up her reluctant son:

"My mom signed me up without me knowing. I begrudgingly went on the first day... I had never enjoyed drama, let alone Shakespeare, and I was by no means an actor.

But mastering that language gave me massive confidence in school oral presentations. As a youth from an immigrant family, Shakespearience empowered me so much that it inspired me to start my own non-profit literacy organization. It truly changed my life."*

Yang

✔️ No acting experience required—we start from scratch.
✔️ Completely funded—zero cost to families.
✔️ Specialized training from experts in voice, movement, improvisation and stage combat

Thanks to registrations coming in, we are down to our final 5 spots for this program that starts July 6.

Please share or tag a Hamilton parent who wants their child to trade screen time for a variety of invaluable skills this summer.

👇 The application link is pinned in the first comment below! 👇

05/22/2026

Give your adolescent a competitive edge this July.

Presentations. College interviews. Making the best impression when looking for a first job.

The skills kids need most for these milestones — confidence, resilience, communication skills —aren't learned on a computer screen.

They are learned while working as part of a team to create something that is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Applications for our FREE July Shakespearience summer program close soon. We just have a few spots left for students in Grade 7 and up who would like to enroll in what so many past participants have called the “best experience of their lives.”

No theatre background is required. Just the willingness to show up, the desire to excel and the determination to succeed…and if, as often happens, a young person walks in to rehearsals without these things on July 6th, they’ll walk out on July 30th with all of these tools for success in abundance.

The deadline is looming and spots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

👇 Full schedule and registration link are pinned in the first comment below! 👇

All Hamilton parents with kids in Grades 7 and up: We are about a week away from the deadline for applications for our S...
05/22/2026

All Hamilton parents with kids in Grades 7 and up: We are about a week away from the deadline for applications for our Shakespearience summer experience and have just a few spots spots left. It’s completely FREE for young people between the ages of 12 and 17. Please check out the details below and share this with any parents you know!

Give your adolescent a competitive edge this July.

Presentations. College interviews. Making the best impression when looking for a first job.

The skills kids need most for these milestones — confidence, resilience, communication skills —aren't learned on a computer screen.

They are learned while working as part of a team to create something that is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Applications for our FREE July Shakespearience summer program close soon. We just have a few spots left for students in Grade 7 and up who would like to enroll in what so many past participants have called the “best experience of their lives.”

No theatre background is required. Just the willingness to show up, the desire to excel and the determination to succeed…and if, as often happens, a young person walks in to rehearsals without these things on July 6th, they’ll walk out on July 30th with all of these tools for success in abundance.

The deadline is looming and spots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

👇 Full schedule and registration link are pinned in the first comment below! 👇

If young people aren’t spending time together…how do they learn how to be human?Not online. Not alone. They do it in a r...
05/18/2026

If young people aren’t spending time together…how do they learn how to be human?

Not online. Not alone. They do it in a room. With others.

Speaking. Listening. Responding. Interacting. Laughing. Working as a team to overcome challenges and put something together that is bigger than any one of them individually.

That’s what the FREE Shakespearience Summer Experiences fosters.
The plays and heightened language of the Bard are just the vehicle. Connection and growth and confidence and the development of invaluable, transferable soft skills is the outcome.

🎭 The Shakespearience Performing Arts Summer Experience: For young people 12-17
🎭 July 6 – July 30
🎭 200 Whitney Avenue, Hamilton
🎭 There is NO CHARGE to enroll in the program

We have a few spots remaining. For more information contact [email protected] Application forms can be accessed at the website — www.shakespearience.ca

Join Shakespearience Performing Arts tonight, Thursday, May 14th, as our after-hours program stages its culminating pres...
05/14/2026

Join Shakespearience Performing Arts tonight, Thursday, May 14th, as our after-hours program stages its culminating presentation of scenes tied together by the theme of "fake news."

Location: Dundas Little Theatre

Address: 37 Market Street South, Dundas

Doors Open: 6:30

Show starts at 7:00 PM

Tickets are FREE!

Our thanks to the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Heaslip Foundation for their generous support of this project

Address

222 Jackson Street West
Toronto, ON
L8P4S5

Telephone

+14168451407

Website

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