Last fall, when the new New England Youth Theatre was under construction, NEYT founder and head dreamer Stephen Stearns told me he was confident that once the new theater was built, people and arts organizations would knock down the doors and each other to use it. He was right. In the five months or so since it opened, the NEYT facility at 100 Flat St. has hosted everything from book readings to film screenings, lectures to circus performances, not to mention a busy slate of NEYT productions. The new facility has also fueled collaboration. This Saturday, NEYT joins forces with the Weston Playhouse (now there's a power combo, a la the rock band Cream) to present a mini-Shakespeare festival. I've long been a fan of both organizations, and the thought of them working together is an exciting prospect. Saturday morning features workshops for actors, but beginning at 1 p.m., there will performances open to the public. At 1 p.m., Sam Lloyd presents a brief look at classical Shakespeare performance, followed by student samples from "Mid Summer Night's Dream," "Taming of the Shrew" and "Hamlet." I'm intrigued by these performances, but even more so by the prospect of future NEYT/Weston Playhouse collaborations.
This could be the start of something big.