SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

US late-night talk and variety show presented by Jay Leno. In this episode Leno talks to First Lady, Laura Bush, about ‘Will Power To Youth’, which she supports, run by the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival. The programme, established soon after the Los Angeles 1992 riots, recruits children living below the poverty level to create their own versions of Shakespeare’s plays, while paying them for their work and offering tutoring opportunities. Laura Bush was in Los Angeles for a 35 minute visit watching part of a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Festival/LA and talking to the children backstage. Leno is sceptical of Laura Bush’s intent to bring Shakespeare to gangs in the United States in the hope and expectation that exposure to his work will increase literacy and reduce violence.

Series

Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Television

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Transmission details

26 Apr 2005 (Channel: NBC)

Availability

No archive copy known (4/2007)

Credits

Contributor

Jay Leno; Laura Bush

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

children; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Will Power To Youth; Youth Theatre

Notes

Reviews

A transcript of the interview is available on the White House website - http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/04/20050426-5.html (4/2007).
Burt, Richard ‘U.S. Television’ in Burt, Richard (ed). Shakespeares After Shakespeares: an Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture. 2 vols. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006. (p. 638, entry 2947).

Production Company

Name

NBC