This year has seen unprecedented cuts to arts and education, and our wonderful middle school Shakespeare program needs your help!

It is too often the opinion that young performers lack the understanding and skill required to perform Shakespeare. But at CSA, we believe that there are so many entry points into language, and that young theatre makers have much to teach us about communication, the rhythm of language, and the human condition as they see it.

With the tremendous success of our inaugural production of 12th Night or What you Will last year, we at CSA believe that Shakespeare programming must continue as part of the school's arts and literacy offerings. We humbly ask for your support to help us create a second Shakespeare production and establish a base from which to create future classical productions.

In a world of isolation, mixed messages, and miscommunication, what better play to perform than Shakespeare's final treatise on forgiveness and redemption: The Tempest. Filled with fantastical creatures, young lovers, treacherous villains, old buffoons, and the magician who controls the world they inhabit, The Tempest is the perfect play for CSA artists to explore. It also provides ample opportunity for designers and technicians to hone their skills and craft.

An in person production would include costs like space rental and staging fees, however in our current moment we have the ability to streamline our costs while still developing an online experience that is uncompromising in its rigor and is genuinely theatrical, inspired by the many excellent theatre companies in New York that have transitioned to online work.

To support the production with props, costumes, and scenic items as well as provide stipends for three adult leaders and a videographer we are seeking to raise $8000. This sum would serve as an investment in our community and affirm CSAs belief in the position of the arts as essential at our school.

We hope you'll support our CSA artists and continue this new and exciting program.