Shakespeare & Co. Honors Founding Member Kevin Coleman

On Saturday, June 29, Shakespeare & Company in Lenox opened its 2024 season with a gala hosted in the Company’s Rose Meadow. At the center of the celebrations was the night’s honoree, Kevin G. Coleman. He is a founding member of Shakespeare & Company and currently serves as the Director of Education. In this role, he has developed the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the Courts, Riotous Youth, and the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare.

Following a reception, guests were led inside the Tina Packer Playhouse for a performance in tribute to Coleman. Young company members, in a scene adapted from Macbeth, tried to conjure Coleman to the stage by tossing some of his favorite items — bow-ties, a baseball bat, and of course, a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio — into a bubbling cauldron. After summoning Company founder, Tina Packer, and the star of last year’s staged reading of Hamlet, Finn Wittrock, Coleman finally climbed out of the cauldron himself to great applause. A video tribute to Coleman’s work included messages from Company artists, family members, and colleagues from around the country. Coleman was then presented with a citation by Representative Smitty Pignatelli. A champagne toast to the Education program was followed by a lively paddle raise fundraiser led by comedian and Fall Festival alum, Kevin Bartini, and Company artist Kristen Moriarty. All proceeds went to support the education department. Dinner and dancing followed in the Rose Meadow.