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What can one of history’s most famous playwrights teach us about preventing violence? Forever Buff Amanda Giguere’s work as the Director of Outreach at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF) has turned this idea into a mission for change through theatre.��

Amanda leads education programs that bring Shakespeare to life for thousands of Colorado students each year, using the power of theater to build empathy, foster dialogue and create safer communities.��

Since joining CSF as a graduate student in 2004, Amanda has helped the theatre education program reach more than 300 Colorado schools and nearly 140,000 students. Her latest project, Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators, shares this innovative work with a national audience. ��

Read more about how Amanda’s time at ���ϳԹ� helped inspire her and how you can help bring the transformative power of Shakespeare to even more communities.�� ��

What is your favorite part of your role as the Director of Outreach for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival? ��

I love the variety of this work. I get many opportunities to interact with people of all ages and varying experience levels with Shakespeare. No matter how many times I encounter the plays, I always learn something new from watching others encounter them. We all bring our unique perspectives to the plays. ��

Reflecting on your theatre studies at CU and becoming a full-time staff member, what experiences helped shape the path you’re on now? ��

I encountered Shakespeare as a child (around 10 or 11) in a Shakespeare camp, and I was hooked. ��

I began teaching for the same Shakespeare camp when I was in college. After college, I taught for a couple of years in Hong Kong and then felt the pull of graduate school. I wanted to expand my knowledge of theatre, and I applied to one school – ���ϳԹ� – because of its connection to CSF. I knew I wanted to do something with Shakespeare and children, though I didn’t have a clear career path. Even as I pursued my MA and PhD, I never felt the traditional academic path of a tenure-track position was for me. I began working at CSF as a graduate student, and after completing my doctorate, I returned to CSF as a full staff member. I feel lucky to be doing work I’m passionate about and that aligns with my skill set.��

Now, when people tell me, “Your job is so cool, I want it!” I smile, thinking, “I agree! This job is VERY cool.” ��

Thinking about your new book, what part are you most proud of, and what do you hope readers will walk away thinking or feeling?��

I wrote the book because, after many years of running a Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program in K-12 schools, I realized that teachers across the country could be doing this work. So many educators already teach Shakespeare. But they may not realize that teaching Shakespeare can also teach violence prevention – I saw an opportunity to share this work beyond the limits of where our CSF van could travel. I hope readers walk away feeling they play a part in preventing violence. Maybe it’s through encountering Shakespeare, or perhaps it’s through connecting with their fellow humans in ways that light them up.��

I also hope it debunks the myth that Shakespeare is too hard, too fancy, too far out of our reach to grasp the meaning. These plays have so much to teach us about our world.  ��

How do you see the arts as an agent for social change? Where do you see potential for more change? ��

The area of change I think about most frequently is funding for the arts, particularly arts education. We are seeing the impact of federal funding cuts and the increasing difficulty of grants. We at CSF are relying more heavily on philanthropic support. ��

I see the value of these programs firsthand – exposure to theatre as a child can help build confidence, improve public speaking and heighten a child’s social-emotional competencies. It’s not just about training actors. If more young people had access to arts education, I imagine we’d see an increase in those skills that also prevent violence: empathy, teamwork, connectedness.��

That’s why I decided to donate all the royalties from the book sales to the . This fund helps provide operational support to CSF’s education programs. ��

How can Forever Buffs support your work?��

Please tell a language arts teacher, a Shakespeare fan or a school administrator about this book! Buy them a copy for their classroom.�� ��

And support your local arts organizations — see a play, attend a concert. The arts help connect us to our fellow humans in vital ways. ��

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