| The Hobart Shakespeareans | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Mel Stuart |
| Starring | Ian McKellen, Michael York |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Mel Stuart |
| Cinematography | Alex Rotaru |
| Editor | Alex Rotaru |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | 2005 |
The Hobart Shakespeareans of Hobart Boulevard Elementary School [1] is a 2005 documentary film that tells the story of the inspirational inner-city Los Angeles school teacher Rafe Esquith whose rigorous fifth-grade curriculum includes English, mathematics, geography, and literature. The pinnacle of student achievement each year is the performance of a play by William Shakespeare; in the year of filming, that play was Hamlet .
The Hobart Shakespeareans drew the attention of renowned Shakespearean actors Ian McKellen and Michael York, who pay a visit to the class to watch their performance of Hamlet. Delighted with the students, York calls the Hobart Shakespeareans "one of the great Shakespeare troupes" in Los Angeles. [2]
Rafe and the Hobart Shakespeareans work every year to perform a Shakespeare play. The recent plays they have performed were As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice .
The Hobart Shakespeareans aired on PBS' P.O.V. series in 2005. It was produced and directed by Mel Stuart.
