Taking the Bard "Down Under"
AmandaGiguere, Colorado Shakespeare Festival Director of Outreach, recently traveled to Australia as a featured guest of theMelbourne Public Humanities Initiativeat the University of Melbourne. Giguerewas invited to share research about the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program (a collaboration between the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF), the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, and the Department of Theatre and Dance), and to discuss her new book:Shakespeare & Violence Prevention: A Practical Handbook for Educators(University Press of Colorado, 2025).
During her week in Australia, Gigueredelivered an interactive keynote, featuring professional actors from Melbourne, participated in a documentary video series,On Humanities,and conducted training sessions at the University of Melbourne and at Bell Shakespeare (Australia’s leading Shakespeare theatre). While in Sydney, Gigueremet with Bell Shakespeare leadership about CSF’s innovative project, and hopes that the work which originated at CU ǸԹ can impact people in Australia.
“I wrote the book about Shakespeare & Violence Prevention so other educators could learn from what we’ve done here in Colorado,” saidGiguere. “It’s so inspiring to hear, when I share this work with people outside of Colorado, that it resonates with others in meaningful ways.”
For more information about Giguere’s new book:
For more information about the Shakespeare & Violence Prevention program, currently touring Colorado’s K-12 schools: