Shakespeare in the Rain:  Here do I breathe my soul into the air…
by Sara Stackhouse

It was pouring, and I mean pouring.  The skies opened up and the rain came pouring down.  Despite this, donors and arts lovers of all ages scurried down Brattle Street on October 3, made their way along a twisting garden path, and entered the huge white tent that housed Blooming Art, a fundraiser held each year by the Hunt Alternatives Fund for 30 exemplary youth arts organizations in Boston, including ASP.  ASP’s Shakespeare on the Out girls, Boston youth ages 14-18, were scheduled to perform as people entered.  Lead Teacher Magda Spasiano met the girls before it started, and rather than complaining about the weather, each girl grabbed an umbrella, donned an ASP shirt, and headed out to rehearse, then perform in the storm.  The umbrellas became fabulous dramatic props, and the girls created tableaus and shared Beatrice monologues from Much Ado About Nothing as they welcomed delighted wet guests who stopped to hear their passionate and relevant words resonate in the dripping garden.  Sadie, one of the performers, shared her thoughts on playing Beatrice: “I don't know what in particular about the piece I love the most, I really love it as a whole.  I really felt I got into her head.  I heard the words and understood how she thinks.  I think doing it for so long, performing it so much, and then even re-visiting it after many months helped with that.”  All of the girls were in the moment, serious about their expression of Shakespeare’s words, and connecting with their audience.  They were a hit.  Sadie adds, “Having the umbrellas as props made it that much more interesting, and then playing games was a blast.  People coming in seemed to really enjoy it too.  We were like the welcoming committee, which was great!”

Blooming Art ran all afternoon, welcoming over 400 guests who made, looked at, listened to, and watched art, while they schmoozed, and donated.  Because of a match offered by the Hunt Foundation and other donors like the Margaret Stewart Lindsay Foundation, nearly $1 Million is raised each year for youth arts organizations (click here to see a list of organizations supported by Blooming Art). This event reminds us all how much inspiration and generosity there is out there, how powerful young people are, and how vital art is.   Says Sadie, “Blooming Art was better then I expected. Really fun. The house was unbelievable!…I felt totally comfortable even though almost everyone were strangers.” Many thanks to Blooming Art, to the Hunt and Lindsay Foundations, to the friends and donors who attend the event, and to the brilliant young actors, Sadie, Gillian, Claire, and Olivia, who playfully and artfully told Shakespeare’s stories in the rain that day—they breathed their souls into the air as the rain fell.

For info or to enroll in Shakespeare on the Out

For Info on Blooming Art

Donate to ASP Youth Programs and Productions

Back to Newsletter Homepage for Fall 2009