The University of Akron Wayne College received a $10,000 matching funds grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in support of the college’s 10th annual Shakespeare Festival. The grant will help defray the expense involved in hosting the popular event.  
           This year’s festival will be held at Wayne College Sept. 19-20 and will again feature the renowned performing troupe American Shakespeare Center On Tour. The Comedy of Errors will be performed Friday evening, and Hamlet will be Saturday’s show. Performances will begin each evening at 7:30 p.m.
            “We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from NEA to support our Shakespeare Festival. This recognition from a prestigious national arts organization is a strong affirmation of the high quality of the performances of the American Shakespeare Center on Tour troupe and the impact the festival has on the community and our area schools,” says Dr. John Kristofco, dean of Wayne College. “Attendance at the performances has grown every year, and we are happy to mark the event’s 10th anniversary this September. We are also looking forward to hosting the 11th Shakespeare festival in the new Student Life Building on campus in the fall of 2009.”
           Wayne College is a regional campus of The University of Akron, and offers the first two years of general bachelor’s degree courses for students who plan to complete their degrees at the Akron campus or other colleges and universities. The campus is located at 1901 Smucker Road in Orrville.