Grant Projects: Sample
The Alpha Lambda Xi chapter at the University of Minnesota, 2008 - Morris sponsored a film and discussion series entitled "Saturdays with Shakespeare" with the support of the Sigma Tau Delta Project Grant. We hosted three films at the local movie theater, an establishment in the small town of Morris since the 1940s. The films were West Side Story, Theatre of Blood, and O. We selected these films because we wanted to host an event to celebrate Shakespeare that was accessible to a wider audience than our typical events and readings. This was also part of our motivation to hold the event in the community rather than on campus.
Each film is based off Shakespeare's texts. We explained the scenes and how they related to the film that we would be screening. These readings received extremely positive responses from our audience, who often had little to no experience with the plays themselves. We were extremely excited to have at least half of our total audience comprised of community members, something that would never happen at an on-campus event. We also held discussions following the films, which were largely for us English nerds. Overall, the event was a success raising approximately $100 in admissions and a lot of awareness about our chapter in the English discipline, the broader campus, and the community!