About Us

From the Director:      “Aurora Shakespeare People is a company dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare and to educational outreach. The group is composed of students, teachers, theatre professionals, and entrepreneurs. We aim to make Shakespeare available, accessible, and affordable to any person of any age. The company also works with people to develop their skills in many different areas of the theatre industry.

We are building a prototype theatre-arts education system that includes people of all ages from elementary school right up through university students, community members, and retired participants. We work with many areas of interest because theatre, like television and film, uses many areas of expertise in its making. Our goal is to present Shakespeare with clarity and to establish a solid path of advancement from the theatre to the world of professional entertainment.

The world of sports has many benefits that are lacking in the arts. Nearly every community in America has athletic organizations with financial support that offer different levels of participation. This kind of advancement is not available to children in the arts. Baseball, for example, has pony league, little league, and so on right up to the top level of major league baseball. A talented child from a remote area can find the path to a professional career.

We want to develop a similar venue using professional theatre. Education in combination with guest professionals from the upper echelon of entertainment will make it possible for talented people to develop skills from the elementary school level up to professional standards from the heart of the industry in Los Angeles.

Aurora Shakespeare People chose the works of William Shakespeare to challenge ourselves and to challenge everyone who participates. We want to set high standards, and to establish a commitment to excellence in the theatre. We want to create a brand new interest in “The Bard” in the hopes that the fight for literature will triumph. The average American may know a few thousand words but only uses about four hundred or so on a day-to-day basis. Shakespeare used ten thousand. We want children in America to work toward the ten-thousand-word vocabulary that Shakespeare used.

We want children to develop the highest levels of language skills and appreciation for literature and culture; the true markers of the quality of life in any community. These children shall become leaders, protectors of the community, competitive globally, and find meaningful careers and employment. They will also pass the knowledge on to the young people behind them.

Aurora Shakespeare People will strive to present Shakespeare at a level of clarity, high merit, and distinction for our visitors and the people in our community. We are determined to make Shakespeare's indelible contribution to understanding the human condition, an understanding which only a poet could bring, enjoyable to as many people as possible. We want to make Shakespeare popular and fun. We work to make Shakespeare available, accessible, and affordable for everyone."

Joe Siracusa, Director

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Educational Outreach   •   Eddie Foy III & the Hollywood Pro Series   •   Video / Media