GLENDALE : Play to Benefit Youth Shakespeare Program

A local theater company will hold its first fund-raiser Tuesday to provide scholarships for a summer school program designed to make Shakespeare fun for teen-agers.

The 2-year-old classic theater company called A Noise Within will present Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at 234 S. Brand Blvd. Tickets are $50.

Proceeds from the play will benefit the company’s Summer With Shakespeare program, now in its second year. The program is open to teen-agers in the Los Angeles area.

The program is designed to make Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies--replete with stories of love, jealousy and gang warfare--relevant to today’s teen-agers, said Julia Rodriguez Elliott, the company’s executive director.

“We demystify Shakespeare and when students actually start to see themselves reflected in the work, it becomes fun for them,” Elliott said.

Theater directors hope to raise enough money to pay for at least half of the students who will attend the program--scheduled to run from June 27 to Aug. 14. Fees to attend are $650 per person.

Last year’s program drew 16 students.

The program includes lessons in stage combat, speech, and improvisation. At the end of the session, students will present one of Shakespeare’s comedies.

A Noise Within was formed to fill a void in today’s entertainment industry--as many actors trained in the classics have a hard time finding a company to perform in, Elliott said.