On Saturday, May 21, 2016, from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m., the public is invited to join the Westminster School community in a family-friendly, fun-filled Renaissance-style festival in celebration of William Shakespeare. Attractions will include Renaissance-themed rides, games, activities, crafts, performances, and food for adults and children. Admission is free. Participation in individual activities and vendors will require the purchase of tickets on site. The festival will be held at Westminster School, 3819 Gallows Road, Annandale, Virginia.
Special events include private viewings of Westminster’s spectacular 4’ x 4’ stained-glass Shakespeare windows, recitations and performances by Westminster students, period musical performances, and raffles of Renaissance-themed prizes.
The Westminster Shakespeare Festival is part of the Virginia Shakespeare Initiative VSI) a statewide commemoration marking 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare. Westminster was invited to participate in the VSI due to its reputation for classical education, including Shakespeare studies. Collaborators in the celebration include the American Shakespeare Center, Virginia Commission for the Arts, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and several state colleges and universities, among others.
The Westminster School program (grades pre-school – 8th) emphasizes classical learning and literature, with a special focus on Shakespeare in the upper grades. Along with its rich, challenging, and well-rounded academic curriculum, Westminster involves all students in the arts, including participation in an annual class play. When students reach the 7th grade, they perform a Shakespeare play. Each year, the entire upper school celebrates Shakespeare’s birthday with a “party” which includes recitations by students and staff members of Shakespearean verse.
For more information about the Westminster Shakespeare Festival, please contact:
Mrs. Bodil Lund
