Alabama State University and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival officially became partners Thursday.

Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr., ASU’s president, and Festival Artistic Director Rick Dildine signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue an academic collaboration “enhancing the artistic education” of ASU students enrolled in the university’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

In a news release distributed by ASU, Ross said he hopes the agreement and relationship with the famed theater will “broaden the educational and career opportunities of ASU students by building pathways of diversity and artistic enrichment.”

In his remarks during the live signing, Ross said he’s excited to continue the relationship formally and hopes it will broaden the sights of the university’s students and provide an avenue to foster their talents in acting and production through internships, training and the opportunity to gain class credits.

Dildine also expressed excitement about the relationship. “The first word in both our entities is ‘Alabama,’” he said. “When you build a community, you cannot build it alone.” He added that he hopes the relationship furthers the theater’s goal of providing experience and network-building for students, particularly students of color.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival was founded in 1972 at a high school auditorium in Anniston and moved to Montgomery in 1985. The theater offers a host of professional productions from Shakespeare to modern works.

Alabama State University was founded in 1867 in Marion as a teacher college for former slaves and played an essential role during the civil rights movement. Today, with more than 7,000 students, the Montgomery-based university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees.

(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)