Grade Levels:  7 through 12

Here’s the situation:  Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is going to produce a touring production of William Shakespeare’s play “Cymbeline.”  It will be presented in high school gyms, school multipurpose rooms, theater stages, outdoor spaces, public libraries, and all sorts of other places.  It has a cast of six actors playing multiple roles who need to access props and costumes while the play is being performed.   The audience needs a sense of the locations in the play.  There’s only so much space in the truck to transport everything and only so much time to set everything up once you get to the performance space.  Your challenge?  Design a set for this production that meets all these needs and a few more to boot.  What would be your real world design for this real world problem?

That is the challenge Laura Skroska faced.  Laura is the Props Master for the touring production of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ “Cymbeline.”  Join us to see the solution she devised and ask your questions about how she approached the task, unexpected obstacles she faced, and, if she had it to do all over again, if she’d do it all the same.  Learn more about Laura and the production of “Cymbeline” at sfstl.com.

Guest Expert:  Laura Skroska, Props Master, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

A video of a full performance of  “Cymbeline” is available on www.facebook.com/shakesfeststl through May 25.  The video is also available for educators indefinitely by contacting the Festival by email or social.