London stage actors bring Shakespeare to JCU

Actors From The London Stage (spring 2025 season)

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John Carroll University (JCU) welcomes the internationally renowned Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS) for a six-day residency, Feb. 17–22. The residency, supported by the Gerard Manley Hopkins Professorship in the Department of English, will feature engaging classroom workshops and performances of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, "Hamlet."

The five-actor troupe will arrive on Feb. 17. Throughout the week, AFTLS will host nearly 30 interactive classroom workshops, offering JCU students a dynamic and hands-on approach to topics such as Shakespearean verse, acting techniques, rhetoric, public speaking, and the power of body language. Workshops will span a variety of disciplines, including English, communication, business, statistics, and more, showcasing the interdisciplinary value of Shakespeare’s works. These hands-on experiences are intended to help students refine their oral communication skills, body language, and storytelling abilities, while deepening their appreciation for Shakespeare's enduring impact.

Founded in 1975, AFTLS has been inspiring audiences at American colleges and universities for nearly 50 years. It is one of the oldest touring Shakespeare theater companies in the world. Housed and workshopped in the U.K. and based in the United States at Shakespeare at Notre Dame, the company brings together a new troupe of actors each fall and spring. Each five-actor troupe features a gender-fluid cast of classically trained British actors from prestigious companies that include Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Their residencies combine performances of a Shakespeare play with collaborative classroom workshops designed to enrich academic coursework across disciplines.

AFTLS’s residency week at JCU will culminate with three performances of "Hamlet" in the university’s Kulas Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20; Friday, Feb. 21; and Saturday, Feb. 22.

Tickets are available at the door or can be purchased in advance at https://www.jcu.edu/jcu-actors-london-stage-hamlet. All seats are general admission, and tickets are priced as follows:

• JCU students: Free with ID
• Non-JCU students: $5
• Adults: $10

The English Department at JCU has hosted AFTLS on its campus on eight different occasions, beginning in 2005, thanks to the gracious generosity of Barbara S. Schubert (’62, ’67G, ’80G) and family, who set up an endowment in the English Department to support events related to British literature and the enrichment of JCU students through the literary arts.