Greetings! My name is Clayton Hamburg and I'm a seasoned Shakespearean performer with an MFA in classical acting, who's possessed of a passion for sharing the timeless delights of William Shakespeare. For the last fifteen years I've worked as a renaissance faire street and stage performer, and currently act as the entertainment director of the New York Renaissance Faire. My enthusiastic passion and experience comes to bear whenever I have the opportunity to teach the poetry, history, characters, and stories that the bard so graciously left behind.

My Shakespeare in Libraries program was born out of a stage show I developed for several renaissance festivals, called Street Corner Shakespeare. In this show I'd play the bard and act as master of ceremonies, tying a narrative arc through several shakespearean scenes and monologues from sundry shows performed by various performers, allowing many the opportunity to practice their verse, characterization, and understanding of the works of William. Themed weekends (such as Pirate Weekend or Fantasy Weekend, for example) would develop into plots amalgamated from several plays; a collection of scenes, all in verse, would culminate in the audience learning to utilize and comprehend iambic pentameter; a series of scenes and monologues from the history plays would leave the audience aware of the lineage of English Monarchy, and how that impacted the world of William Shakespeare. 

Sharing the world of William Shakespeare in an interactive manner  lights my soul on fire, and I'd love to bring the bard to your library this summer.