Roc City's Macbeth

Shakespeare from the Streets Gives Local Youth a Fresh Perspective on Their Lives

One-night only performance of Macbeth scheduled for Friday, March 23

ROCHESTER, NY — A small group of local youth is currently rehearsing for a unique production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of “Shakespeare from the Streets,” a project designed to effect change in the lives of the teen performers. The project was developed through a partnership between the Reinvesting in Youth (RIY) program at Hillside Family of Agencies, the Rochester Police Department, and Bernard Plansky, MD, a local physician and Shakespearean actor and director.

Shakespeare’s works involve such universal themes as justice and revenge, the search for power, family dynamics, the relationship of grief to violence and the power of love and redemption. Using the text of the play, the teen performers in the “Shakespeare from the Streets” project are tapping into those themes and others, and learning to view and explore their own life situations through a theatrical lens.

The project debuted in 2016 with performances of Henry V. The idea is to help kids build on their assets toward positive self-identities; they should feel like pioneers—taking on something from start to finish.

Each year, Hillside’s RIY program serves approximately 120 area youth who face juvenile delinquency charges or who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. The RIY program helps these youth re-direct their emotions and energies toward more positive paths—improving their school attendance, their outlook for the future, and their connections to positive role models and community resources.

As part of the “Shakespeare from the Streets” project, the youth meet twice a week to work with experienced theatre artists, RIY program staff and community volunteers, all working together to help the performers interpret excerpts from the play while rehearsing for their upcoming theatrical debut.

RIY’s Macbeth will be presented at 6:30pm Friday, March 23, in the auditorium of the Joseph C. Wilson Foundation Academy, 200 Genesee St. in Rochester. Admission is free and open to the public; donations to Reinvesting in Youth at Hillside are welcome.

About Hillside Family of Agencies

Founded in 1837, Hillside Family of Agencies is one of the oldest family and youth non-profit human services organizations in the United States. The organization provides child welfare, mental and physical health, youth development, juvenile justice, special education, and developmental disabilities services across central and western New York; in Prince George’s County, MD; and in Washington, DC. Hillside served nearly 13,000 youth and families in 2016. Hillside Family of Agencies includes Hillside Children’s Center, Stillwater Children’s Center, Snell Farm Children’s Center, Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection and Hillside Children’s Foundation. For more information, visit www.hillside.com.