“O brave new world, that has such people in’t.”
Shakespeare With Heart
Shakespeare With Heart is open to middle and high school students with and without disabilities. Registered students come together two weeks prior to the first day of camp to meet one another, audition for roles, and begin the process of becoming an ensemble. Everyone is guaranteed a role in the play, and each actor is challenged to bring their character to life using their own unique talents and abilities.
“O brave new world, that has such people in’t.”
Shakespeare With Heart 2025
The Tempest
Performance: July 18, 2025 at 7pm
In this bold reimagining, a mother tries to connect with her daughter through storytelling, narrating “The Tempest” in a world where every character is trapped in expectations and appearances. Prospera and Miranda live in a picture-perfect dream world, while everyone else is living in a drab and dull state.
Featuring a moving finale of positive affirmations to “What Was I Made For,” this is “The Tempest” like you’ve never seen it before. Step into Barbie Land and wear pink to support the actors and the show!.
Grades: 7-12
Dates: July 7 – 18, 2025
Time: Monday – Friday, 9am – 12pm
Tuition: $350 (Full scholarships available)
Signups for 2026 Shakespeare With Heart start on January 1, 2026. Contact Anne Hering at anneh@orlandoshakes.org
About Shakespeare with Heart
This program is a collaboration between UCP of Central Florida, the Exceptional Education Department of UCF, and Orlando Shakes which brings students with and without disabilities together over a two-week period to produce a Shakespeare play. All students participate in daily voice, movement, and warm-up activities before rehearsing together. This two-week camp culminates in a fully produced (i.e. professional costume, lighting, scenic, and sound design) performance.History
In 2006, Shakespeare With Heart was conceived by Dr. Rebecca Hines, a professor at the University of Central Florida, and Ilene WIlkins, President and CEO of UCP of Central Florida, with a mission of inclusion. The goal was to give middle and high school students with and without disabilities the opportunity to work side by side brought together by a common interest–theater. Over the years we’ve produced Shakespeare’s classic plays with a variety of settings and concepts. We’ve explored The Merry Wives of Windsor set in Brooklyn, The Winter’s Tale set in Africa, As You Like It set in Jamaica and The Merchant of Venice set on a college campus of the 1960s.Performance History
| 2025 | The Tempest |
| 2024 | The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| 2023 | Much Ado About Nothing |
| 2022 | Twelfth Night |
| 2021 | As You Like It |
| 2020 | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| 2019 | The Comedy of Errors |
| 2018 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| 2017 | Romeo and Juliet |
| 2016 | Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| 2015 | The Tempest |
| 2014 | The Merchant of Venice |
| 2013 | As You Like It |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing |
| 2011 | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| 2010 | The Winter’s Tale |
| 2009 | The Taming of the Shrew |
| 2008 | Twelfth Night |
| 2007 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| 2006 | The Tempest |