The Young Shakespeareans
ALISON KORMAN Artistic Director / Founder
Alison is an entrepreneur and classically trained actor who, after working in Mexico and Senegal, returned to New York City's Metropolitan Opera and 92nd Street Y before founding her own arts management company, Korman+Company. During 25 years procuring and producing $5 million annually in still photography, she simultaneously performed off-Broadway and in various theatrical venues abroad. Living in Los Angeles since 1997, she has served as an Account Director for the Taproot Foundation, performed for hundreds of schoolchildren with the LA Assistance League’s Nine O’Clock Players, and began teaching Shakespeare to Title 1 elementary school children in South Los Angeles in 2009. She conceived the idea for The Young Shakespeareans Program in 2010, officially founded the organization in 2017, and has developed its curriculum in the conviction that unleashing the awareness and potential of Title 1 public school children transforms their lives while serving the broader community. Alison continues to perform in theatre, film and television. She received her degree in Special Education and Foreign Language from Washington University in St. Louis.
of John Adams Middle School
PROGRAM HISTORY
The Young Shakespeareans Program began in South Los Angeles in 2008 at the behest of LAUSD administrators Emma Rodriguez and Robert Baker. The Program was initiated at Nevin Avenue Elementary School under Principal Denise Pratt, and GATE Classroom Teacher Rhonda Sivaraman. Though Dr. Pratt has moved on to serve as an LAUSD District Director, she remains an avid supporter and proponent, encouraging the Principals in her charge to bring the Program to their schools.
The Young Shakespeareans Program remains a vital part of Nevin Avenue Elementary School, has been joined by West Vernon Elementary School, and at the demand of alumni from both schools, is beginning its tenure at John Adams Middle School.
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