Fall 2012 Centenary Gates-Ferry Lecture to Focus on the "Shakespeare Behind Bars" Program

Hackettstown, N.J. – Centenary College will be holding the first event in the 2012-2013 Distinguished Visiting Series Gates-Ferry Lecture on September 5, 2012.  Curt L. Tofteland will be showing his documentary “Shakespeare Behind Bars” at 6 p.m. in the Sitnik Theater at the David and Carol Lackland Center (715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown) with a refreshment break at 7:30 p.m. and then a separate talk back discussion with Tofteland about his professional experience at 8 p.m.. This event is free and open to the public.

Tofteland is the founder of the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Behind Bars (SBB) program.  Shakespeare Behind Bars offers theatrical encounters with personal and social issues to the incarcerated, allowing them to develop life skills that will ensure their successful reintegration into society. 

Now in its 18th year, Shakespeare Behind Bars is the oldest program of its kind in North America. SBB programming serves incarcerated adults and youth using the works of William Shakespeare.  Philomath Films chronicled SBB in a documentary that premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and 40+ film festivals around the world.  Tofteland has been invited to share his Shakespeare Behind Bars experience through screening the documentary, facilitating a post-screening audience talk-back, teaching master classes, and visiting classrooms at 33 colleges and universities (49 visits) across the United States. 

He has been a key presenter at the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the Shakespeare Association of America; he has been a three time key presenter at the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) annual conference. He has twice been a key presenter at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Region III, and once each at professional Shakespeare Festivals in North America, including: Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, Ontario; Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston, Mass; Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City, Utah; Great River Shakespeare Festival, Winona, Minn; Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival, Grand Valley, Mich; Independent Shakespeare Company of Los Angeles; Kennedy Shakespeare Festival; Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park; and Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

Tofteland was awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship in Australia, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Bellarmine University, the Fleur-de-lis Award from the Louisville Forum, Petra Foundation Fellowship, Al Smith Fellowship in playwrighting from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Mildred A. Dougherty Award for communication from the Greater Louisville English Council, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota, where he received his M.F.A. in Acting.

“I am very pleased to serve as Gates-Ferry Distinguished Lecturer this fall and hope that my talks are informative and enlightening for those who are in attendance,” says Tofteland.  “My work has made a difference in those who may have been uninspired.  To make a positive impact on these individuals has been an experience that has been so rewarding.” 

Tofteland will be teaching on the Centenary campus all week to students as part of his lectureship.  The Spring Gates-Ferry lecturer will feature the former congresswoman Liz Holtzman.

The Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lectureship at Centenary College recognizes the dedication to the College of Joseph R. Ferry, Trustee from 1948 to 1976 and treasurer of the Board of Trustees for 20 years.  It was established to set high standards and goals for students and faculty alike, and to enrich the quality of life on the Centenary campus.

For more information, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2422.

Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix is designed to provide an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world.

Centenary College’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township (Morris County).  The Centenary College School of Professional Studies offers degree programs in three locations: Hackettstown, Parsippany and Edison, and at corporate sites throughout New Jersey.  The School of International Programs recruits international students for study at Centenary and Centenary students for study abroad.

###