The US National Endowment for the Arts has announced a unique partnership with the Department of Defense to bring its Shakespeare in American Communities program to military bases around the country. The Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour brings the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and its production of Macbeth to 13 U.S. military bases, starting on September 10, 2004. With $1 million from the Department of Defense, the Arts Endowment will work with all four military branches to serve military personnel and their families with free performances and educational activities. National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said, ‘As our country now has the best-educated, best-trained military in our nation’s history, the Arts Endowment has made a conscious effort to extend programs of artistic excellence, including Shakespeare in American Communities, to the men, women, and their families in our nation’s armed forces. We look forward to bringing the greatest playwright in the English language to a great audience.’ The 13 bases that comprise the tour include three Army, three Navy, two Marine and five Air Force bases in 11 states from North Carolina to New Mexico. Alabama Shakespeare Festival expects to present 17 to 19 performances and many more educational and outreach activities over the six-week tour. The Arts Endowment is also providing multimedia resource kits (containing a recitation contest guide, timeline poster, and audio CD) for teachers and librarians stationed at the bases Shakespeare in American Communities is the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history. Since September 2003, the program has engaged 29 professional theatre companies to bring new Shakespeare productions and special in-school programs to more than 200 communities across all 50 states. For further information, CLICK HERE.