Temple College’s Division of Fine Arts is hosting a Humanities Lunch and Learn with Ann Ciccolella, artistic director of Austin Shakespeare, at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the College’s Jackson-Graeter Backstage Theatre in the Mary Alice Marshall Performing Arts Center.

Ann Ciccolella Ann Ciccolella

During this event, Ciccolella will discuss Shakespeare from a contemporary perspective and what his work means today.

Admission is free and a light lunch is included. Seating is limited to the first 100 people.

“We are so happy to have Ann with us for this event,” said Dr. Sara Harris Baker, Temple College’s Fine Arts Division Director. “She has been a fixture of the theatre scene in Austin, first with Austin Circle of Theatres, then the Zach, and now Austin Shakespeare. Our students and other attendees will be able to learn so much from her about modern interpretations of Shakespeare, but also about professional theatre opportunities in Central Texas.”

Ciccolella began her tenure at Austin Shakespeare in 2007 following an eight-year tenure at Austin’s Zachary Scott Theatre as managing director. She worked with the Austin Circle of Theatres and the Renaissance Theatre Company, while frequently lecturing at The University of Texas at Austin and teaching at St. Edward’s University.

As a director at Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Ciccolella directed Cabaret, The Vagina Monologues, Full Gallop, Closer, Master Class, and Misery. In Zilker park, she staged Sondheim’s Into the Woods (1990), and for Austin Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1992). In Austin, she also directed Hedda Gabler, and Other People’s Money, as well as productions of her scripts as a playwright.

Baker said Ciccolella’s visit is timely, as Temple College prepares for its upcoming Nov. 3-4 production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged.

ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE

Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.

Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.