When I consider my experience playing and working as an Apprentice for Venture Shakespeare, I can feel the openness that I found within my body in a month or two. I am visualizing a particular moment when shame and frustration drenched my will to invent (I was like a butterfly with my wings stuck together) during A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hermia, depleted after her chase and love fight with Helena and her spell casted lovers, declares her exhaustion in one of the final scenes. I remember feeling uncomfortable and uninspired with this moment. When Kirstin and the other mentor’s sensed my resistance, they asked about it. There was a fear within me that I couldn’t perform how I felt I was “supposed” to play this scene. The mentors invited me to listen to this feeling of incongruence and use it to inform how I play. Let yourself feel frustrated and depleted! Venture Shakespeare Apprenticeship is about delving into the unknown of Shakespeare’s texts with professional support. With Kirstin, I have become an increasingly curious actor and human being who notices what I am bringing with me into a scene and acts with spontaneity and sincerity, rather than reject discomfort.  

~Mack Moseley 

"Working with Venture was a lot of fun and brought me in contact with a close community of passionate and caring people. Although I am not pursuing a career in theatre at this time (I am teaching middle school), I was glad for the opportunity to practice the art that I love." 

-Jacob B

"Working as an apprentice with Venture Shakespeare has been one of my favorite theater experiences ever. Not only are our mentors incredibly knowledgeable, but they are kind souls. They guide us and teach us rather than directing us. I spent my summer surrounded by talented actors who knew how to push us to be our best in performance. Previously, Shakespearean plays felt too intimidating to approach. I always felt like I never understood the words I was saying, so I tended to stray from his works, but after one show with this group of people Shakespeare has become one of my favorites. As apprentices, we really got to know the text and learned new ways of approaching Shakespeare that helped us connect with the scripts. Everyone had a genuine appreciation and interest in the work we did and it made the experience so worthwhile. I had the opportunity to learn more than I ever have about performing while creating lifelong connections that I truly cherish. Venture is the best theater company I have ever worked with and I cannot wait to continue the apprenticeship." 

-Lindsay W