Once again, Shakespeare & Company will be in residence at the Hayground School from November 27 through December 15.  This marks our twenty-sixth year at the school!  We are delighted to announce that this year we will be working with all the students to explore William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet.  This exploration will culminate in two presentations at the Bridgehampton School auditorium on Thursday, December 14.  

Here is some information about the four directors working with your children.

Ellie Bartz (she/her) is an Actor and Theatre Education Artist who grew up in the suburbs outside of Detroit, Michigan. She has taught many of Shakespeare & Company's Education programs, most recently directing Richard III at Springfield Central High School for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare. Ellie finds joy in giving students a visceral experience of storytelling, especially when Shakespeare's words are involved. She is thrilled to return to the Hayground School Residency for the sixth time and can’t wait to dive into a new play with this wonderful community.

JoJo McDonald (she/her) is an Actor, Tap Dancer, and Teaching Artist. She has been involved with the work of Shakespeare & Company for many years, both as a teacher and a student. She studied English and French at Williams College and did student-run theater and a cappella throughout her time there. Recently, she directed in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare for her fourth year, and before that played Mercutio in the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare in the winter and spring of 2023. Outside of Shakespeare & Company work, she is involved with They Dance For Rain, a grassroots dance-making project in Pittsfield, MA and Nairobi, Kenya. Last summer she traveled with They Dance For Rain to the Nairobi Dance Life Festival, where she taught tap workshops and performed new works in the festival. She is a proud alum of AmeriCorps, having served in Queens, NY through the program ArtistYear. This will be JoJo’s fourth Hayground School residency, and she is delighted to be back at this beautiful school with wonderful collaborators.

Kirsten Mulrenan (she/her) is an Education Artist and Actor based in Los Angeles, CA. She grew up in the Boston area and attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, where she studied Theater, Spanish, and Arts Administration. Kirsten has a background in classroom teaching, having previously been a kindergarten teaching assistant at St. Joseph's School in Needham, MA and a fifth grade teacher at American Martyrs School in Manhattan Beach, CA. She is now proud to be an Education Artist with Shakespeare & Company, where she has taught in the Riotous Youth and Fall Festival programs.

Naire Poole (she/they) is a perceptive director and teaching artist, with a focus on how personal expansion can create communal expansion.  Her patience and diplomacy help to cultivate mindful and cooperative spaces. The skills have supported her in her work as a director in Shakespeare and Company’s Annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare, Hayground Residency, and Northeast Regional Tour. She completed her MFA at the FSU/ Asolo Conservatory for actor Training. They’re failing miserably at learning electric guitar and she’s finding out she remembers more Spanish than she thought. She is grounded by a lovely family and lifted by supportive friends. SALU. BLM. This will be Naire’s second Hayground School residency, and she is looking forward to working with the students and teachers again.

Parent Meeting:

We look forward to having the opportunity to meet all of you at the parent meeting on Thursday, November 30 at 6 pm. At the meeting, we’ll share some of what we will be doing with your children, and we’ll answer all your questions.  We hope you will be able to attend.

We are excited about this unique opportunity to work with the students of Hayground School with Romeo and Juliet.  See you on November 30!