On Sunday, January 13th at 1 a.m, a true tragedy occurred. The Shakespeare Theater, a historic landmark met a very violent end. We are two high school students who grew up in Stratford, and attended Shakespeare Theater festivals every year. Watching the live theatre performances outside the theater and marveling at its historical relics shaped our love for the arts. As performing arts students, we know that many of the works we idolize today would not be possible without Shakespeare.

    For many years, our town has been at a static with renovations and/ or rebuilding of the theatre. Shakespeare is simply too important to our culture to simply let his legacy wither away. He created many plays, such as Romeo and Juliet, that laid out a path for modern day Romance novels, plays, and musicals. We need a place to show that, to build something in his memory to keep the spirit of the arts glowing in our town. Moving forward, we can make sure what ever is built in its place is well kept and looked over by the right people, instead of letting it fall into the wrong hands.

    Thank you for your support,

Emily Ingersoll and Sage Sperling