It was William Shakespeare who wrote, “Oh, I am fortune?s fool!”
Fool or not, fortune is shining on Shakespeare ? the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, to be exact.
The nonprofit professional theater group this week received $1 million from an anonymous donor who likes watching the Bard?s work performed live.
“We have watched Baltimore Shakespeare Festival develop and mature artistically and administratively and know BSF has a small staff and board committed to its mission,” the donor said via a news statement. “We wanted to give Baltimore Shakespeare Festival a cushion, a breathing space in their continuing pursuit of financial stability so that their growth may continue.”
The theater group will use the $1 million as a seed for an endowment it hopes will attract matching funds.
“We will use the interest from this investment to go toward our operating costs,” said Kimberley Lynne, development director of the theater group. “It?s about $40,000 a year. It?s a beautiful thing.”
The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival isn?t an ordinary metropolitan theater company. It works to create classical productions and educational outreach programs for children who otherwise might not be exposed to the theatrical experience.
It has staged productions at St. Mary?s Outreach Center in Hampden since 2003.
“We are often the only cultural experience manystudents receive,” said James Kinstle, artistic director of the group. “Our innovative approach to getting programming in the schools has made a remarkable difference in the lives of thousands of Maryland students and teachers.”
In addition to staging productions, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival also works with children through its teen performance program, among others.
“We get a broad range of children … from homeschoolers to inner-city school students and suburban students,” Lynne said. “These kids can go across the socio-economic [spectrum] and experience art and each other in an atmosphere that is a leveling place.”
Baltimore Shakespeare Festival will host a celebration of the donation tonight during the opening of its production of “Desdemona, A Play about a Handkerchief” by Paula Vogel. Curtain time is 8 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and are available by calling 410-366-8596 during business hours. Tickets also are available at the box office before the performance.
