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Marywood University and Scranton Shakespeare Festival (SSF) have entered into a partnership establishing SSF as the school\u2019s resident professional theater company and bringing professional theater, experiential learning, community programming, and new creative opportunities directly to campus.<\/p>\n
The partnership is part of the vision behind Marywood\u2019s new School of Communication, which formally launched this semester and brings together the University\u2019s Theatre programs, Film, TV & Digital Production, Multimedia Communication, Music Production & Entrepreneurship, Journalism & Public Communication, Sports Media, Digital Influencing, Arts Administration, and other creative disciplines in one academic home.<\/p>\n
The partnership between the new school and SSF was developed with a shared purpose: to create greater connections among academic disciplines, professional practice, and the wider community. By bringing a professional theater company into this new interdisciplinary environment, Marywood students will have opportunities to work across programs while gaining hands-on experience alongside professional actors, directors, designers, technicians, producers, and other creative professionals. At the same time, SSF will establish a permanent institutional home at Marywood from which to expand its performances, educational programming, and community outreach.<\/p>\n
Together, these initiatives will bring students, professional artists, faculty, audiences, and community members together on Marywood\u2019s campus throughout the year, advancing a broader vision for Marywood as a place where education, professional practice, performance, and community intersect.<\/p>\n
A signing ceremony was held at Marywood on Aug. 24, marking the beginning of the partnership. Some of those in attendance were Lisa A. Lori, J.D., president of Marywood University; Lindsey Wotanis, director of the School of Communication; Dawn McGurl, chair of the SSF board of directors, and Lizzie Newcomb Gumula, SSF director of education an associate producer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about creating opportunities for our students, for SSF, for professional artists, and for our entire region,\u201d said Lori. \u201cAs we developed the vision for our new School of Communication, we wanted professional practice and community engagement to be integral to the student experience. Bringing Scranton Shakespeare Festival to Marywood helps make that vision a reality. Our students will have extraordinary access to professionals working in the field, our campus will come alive with even more performances and creative activity, and our community will have another reason to experience Marywood as a destination for theater, culture, and the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lori added, \u201cTogether, the new School of Communication and our partnership with SSF advance our longstanding vision for Marywood to become a cultural hub for the arts in Northeastern Pennsylvania, a place where artists, students, and the community come together to create, learn, perform, and experience the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The university\u2019s partnership with SSF is woven into the broader vision for Marywood\u2019s new School of Communication: creating an interdisciplinary environment where students learn across traditional academic boundaries, engage directly with working professionals, and prepare for a creative economy in which disciplines and platforms increasingly intersect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world our students are entering is increasingly interdisciplinary,\u201d Lori said. \u201cPerformers, directors, designers, filmmakers, producers, marketers, journalists, and content creators work across disciplines and platforms. That is one of the reasons we created the School of Communication, and this partnership helps bring that vision to life. We are putting a professional theater company into an academic environment where theatre students can collaborate with these creative professionals. Students will learn by doing, build professional relationships, and connect what they study in the classroom with the realities of today\u2019s creative industries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wotanis said the partnership will create opportunities extending well beyond the stage. \u201cBringing SSF into the School of Communication\u2019s interdisciplinary environment creates a living laboratory for our students,\u201d said Wotanis. \u201cA theatrical production requires storytelling, performance, design, production, sound, video, marketing, publicity, social media, and audience engagement. Those are precisely the kinds of connections we want our students to make across programs. They will have opportunities to apply what they are learning to real productions, work alongside professionals, and build portfolios and experiences that prepare them for their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarywood University is the ideal home for Scranton Shakespeare Festival,\u201d McGurl said. \u201cThis partnership gives SSF the opportunity to put down roots, grow artistically, expand our programming and community reach, and build for the future, while investing in the next generation of creative professionals. With a permanent home at Marywood and access to the university\u2019s students, faculty, facilities, and broader community, we have an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen SSF and extend the impact of professional theater throughout the region. We look forward to building a shared future that celebrates performance, education, and community while creating new opportunities for artists, students, and audiences across Northeastern Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n
A professional theater company on campus <\/p>\n
As Marywood\u2019s resident professional theater company, SSF will work directly with Marywood faculty and students throughout the year, providing professional mentorship, experiential learning, master classes, workshops, artist talks, audition coaching, Shakespeare intensives, and other educational programming. <\/p>\n
Students will have opportunities to work alongside professional actors, directors, designers, technicians, producers, and visiting artists, not only as performers, but in production, design, stage management, marketing, communications, arts administration, and other areas. Marywood students also will receive priority access to SSF\u2019s Learning, Experience & Advancement Program (LEAP), providing real-world experience in multiple aspects of professional theater production and administration. The partnership will support recruitment efforts and provide prospective students with opportunities to experience the connection between professional practice and a Marywood education. <\/p>\n
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