Blue Lake breaks ground on Shakespearean theater

Wed, Sep 30, 2009    to del.icio.us

TWIN LAKE — Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp will launch a new Shakespeare program in its 2010 summer season.

In addition to offering a Shakespeare major, the program is designed to ensure that each of the more than 5,300 students attending Blue Lake will be exposed to a live Shakespeare presentation while at camp.

At the heart of the program is construction of a 600-seat Elizabethan theater, designed by Muskegon architect Dick Borgeson.

Borgeson and Blue Lake Management Committee member Andy Dagen have been developing plans for the construction project for more than two years.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime program for an architect to work on with such historical significance," Borgeson said. "It is great to have a group of dedicated people at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp who not only understand the historic nature of this project, but are willing to do everything possible to maintain its pure architectural value. I appreciate the opportunity to be part of this prestigious initiative."

Dagen, whose responsibilities include maintaining the more than 300 buildings that make up Blue Lake's physical plant, said: "The opportunity for our students to study and perform Shakespeare within an authentic Elizabethan theater is unique. This will be the only summer camp program of its type in the nation, and there is a great deal of anticipation by our faculty and staff."

The history of the Elizabethan Theater Era, which ran from 1558 to 1642, started with wandering minstrels who moved from castle to castle. The popularity of the movement led to the construction of the first dedicated theater in 1576 by James Burbage.

Dubbed "The Theater," the structure was built in a similar style to a Roman Coliseum, but on a smaller scale. Other theaters followed, including "The Curtain," "The Swan," and "The Rose" — for which Blue Lake's theater has been tentatively named. The construction design of Blue Lake's theater is a synthesis of these various theaters, based on drawings from the time period.

The $300,000 project is being largely funded by an anonymous donor.

"We are accepting additional donations and support is appreciated," Dagen said. "Because lead funding is coming from an anonymous source, it is possible to name the theater in honor of an additional benefactor."

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a summer school of the arts located in Twin Lake, offers fine arts education for all ages. The summer camp annually serves gifted elementary, junior high and high school students with diverse programs in music, art, dance and drama; while offering public performances during its Summer Arts Festival.

On the Net: www.bluelake.org