GoodWill Shakespeare Festival
Donation protected
There is a dedicated group of drama teachers in Vernon, BC who have been participating in the GoodWill Shakespeare Festival since its inception 18 years ago, and who now find themselves coordinating and hosting this amazing festival in our community of Vernon, BC. We are seeking your help in keeping this festival flourishing and growing.
Who We Are: 18 years ago two teachers in Summerland realized there were not the same kinds of opportunities for performing and fine arts students in small interior towns as there are in larger centres like Vancouver and area. So, they set about to bring the big city opportunities to their very own town. 16 years later, the festival had outgrown the theatre venue in Summerland and in 2017 was successfully moved to the beautiful Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.
This long standing festival provides secondary school students with the opportunity to meet and learn from a variety of internationally acclaimed actors, musicians, and artists. The Festival has brought world class performers, including Brian Tate, Christopher Gaze, Shane Koyczan, Baba Brinkman, Holly Adams, Aldo Billingslea, Jackson Davies, Bobby Bovenzi and many others to work with our aspiring artists.
Over 300 students and their teachers attend the Goodwill Shakespeare Festival ready to be involved in one of the richest possible learning experiences each year. Although “Shakefest," as it has been nicknamed, has Shakespeare as its muse, it covers an array of subjects such as art, acting for film and TV, choral music, writing, improvisation, costume design, set design, acting, makeup and directing. By participating in these workshops and learning about the theatrical process the students experience the transformative power of theatre and the arts.
Throughout the festival students will act, sing, design, write and connect with others from around the province. It is hoped that they will be inspired to take their passion for the arts in all its varied forms and share it with others so that they will see the value of the arts in their lives.
Our Mission: Theatre has the power to transform lives.
We, the organizers and the teachers who bring our students to this festival, have seen for ourselves the life-changing power the theatre arts have on the lives of our students. In our small interior towns, we have a lower percentage of students who choose to follow performing, fine art or technical theatre vocations after high school than the more major centres. This festival allows like-minded students to work together, and in doing so, create strong friendship bonds.
A strong example of the connection our students make here was when two students from different towns who had met during “Shakesfest” suddenly found themselves in the same first year class at university and had an instant bond - a safe buddy - to negotiate the tricky roadmap of first year university in the big city. They were so thankful for the festival that gave them this security once they left home.
How YOU can help! Primarily, we need funding!
We aim to keep the per person costs associated with this festival as low as possible to keep it accessible for all students. We have schools attending from all regions of BC - Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Northern BC, Interior and Kootenay Regions.
Travel, Accommodations, Rentals for the workshop spaces and the Performing Arts Centre, Food for delegates, teaching fees for the professional workshop leaders and Keynote Speakers (who charge us WELL UNDER their regular rates), as well as the goody bags of t-shirts, notebook, pencils, and water bottles all require MONEY WE HAVE TO FIND.
The budget to run the festival is $25,000. Student delegates pay $100 each, which generates approximately $3500.
This is a completely non-profit event. The workshop leaders are paid an honourarium only.
Who We Are: 18 years ago two teachers in Summerland realized there were not the same kinds of opportunities for performing and fine arts students in small interior towns as there are in larger centres like Vancouver and area. So, they set about to bring the big city opportunities to their very own town. 16 years later, the festival had outgrown the theatre venue in Summerland and in 2017 was successfully moved to the beautiful Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.
This long standing festival provides secondary school students with the opportunity to meet and learn from a variety of internationally acclaimed actors, musicians, and artists. The Festival has brought world class performers, including Brian Tate, Christopher Gaze, Shane Koyczan, Baba Brinkman, Holly Adams, Aldo Billingslea, Jackson Davies, Bobby Bovenzi and many others to work with our aspiring artists.
Over 300 students and their teachers attend the Goodwill Shakespeare Festival ready to be involved in one of the richest possible learning experiences each year. Although “Shakefest," as it has been nicknamed, has Shakespeare as its muse, it covers an array of subjects such as art, acting for film and TV, choral music, writing, improvisation, costume design, set design, acting, makeup and directing. By participating in these workshops and learning about the theatrical process the students experience the transformative power of theatre and the arts.
Throughout the festival students will act, sing, design, write and connect with others from around the province. It is hoped that they will be inspired to take their passion for the arts in all its varied forms and share it with others so that they will see the value of the arts in their lives.
Our Mission: Theatre has the power to transform lives.
We, the organizers and the teachers who bring our students to this festival, have seen for ourselves the life-changing power the theatre arts have on the lives of our students. In our small interior towns, we have a lower percentage of students who choose to follow performing, fine art or technical theatre vocations after high school than the more major centres. This festival allows like-minded students to work together, and in doing so, create strong friendship bonds.
A strong example of the connection our students make here was when two students from different towns who had met during “Shakesfest” suddenly found themselves in the same first year class at university and had an instant bond - a safe buddy - to negotiate the tricky roadmap of first year university in the big city. They were so thankful for the festival that gave them this security once they left home.
How YOU can help! Primarily, we need funding!
We aim to keep the per person costs associated with this festival as low as possible to keep it accessible for all students. We have schools attending from all regions of BC - Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Northern BC, Interior and Kootenay Regions.
Travel, Accommodations, Rentals for the workshop spaces and the Performing Arts Centre, Food for delegates, teaching fees for the professional workshop leaders and Keynote Speakers (who charge us WELL UNDER their regular rates), as well as the goody bags of t-shirts, notebook, pencils, and water bottles all require MONEY WE HAVE TO FIND.
The budget to run the festival is $25,000. Student delegates pay $100 each, which generates approximately $3500.
This is a completely non-profit event. The workshop leaders are paid an honourarium only.
Organizer
Lana O'Brien
Organizer
Vernon, BC
