There is always something to do at the Laura Bush Library, no matter where your interests lie. There are story times for the young, regular events for teens, crafting groups, genealogy sessions and receptions for talented artists whose works grace the gallery space. For those who love English, theater, poetry or just appreciate a good time, there are now Shakespeare reading groups where the words of the bard are celebrated as they were intended – out loud.

Local resident, actor and Shakespeare authority Justin Scalise brings Shakespeare’s work to Laura’s Library twice each month on the first and fourth Mondays.

“Shakespeare was made to be heard,” Scalise said. “There is a rhythm and a richness to the words he selected to use, some of which he made up himself. You lose much of the magic of Shakespeare if you read it silently. You really have to hear it.”

Scalise, who grew up in New Orleans and moved to Austin in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has been holding the local Shakespeare Aloud reading groups since November. He generally attracts seven or eight participants and is already developing some regulars. Scalise said people of all ages come to the readings, and his groups often range from young children to retired adults.

“Shakespeare isn’t too far over the heads of children,” he said. “Most people in some way are attracted to the beauty of it. It’s not a foreign language. It’s English, 400-year-old English, but it’s English all the same. There is something familiar about it and yet still magical. He wrote so succinctly. Once you begin to wrap your mouth around those words, you begin to get a sense of his power.”

Scalise fell in love with Shakespeare in middle school. The poetry and the theatrical aspect of the stories drew him. And he fell for Shakespeare’s passion. It’s something that others seem to pick up from Scalise during his readings.

“Justin has an infectious enthusiasm for Shakespeare,” said Lisa Charbonnet, branch manager of Laura’s Library. “We’ve had people wander in to find a book on Monday evening and serendipitously discover Justin’s Shakespeare Aloud program. They’re glued for the rest of his session. Last week, we had a delightful professor who brought her two young daughters. They read with Justin for an hour and left with an armful of books by and about Shakespeare. Justin brings an actor’s sensibility to what otherwise might be dry words on a dry page.”

“One of the problems people have with Shakespeare is the way it is taught in school; it can be terribly boring when done wrong,” Scalise said. “And many times people go to see it performed by actors or directors who don’t really understand what the words mean. That can ruin it.”

Some people drop by for a Shakespeare reading at the library out of pure curiosity. Many have had a taste of Shakespeare in the past, Scalise said.

“When you are touched by Shakespeare, you want more,” he said.

The young actor makes sure his readings are packed with fun. After all, fun is the point, he said.

“We read it out loud and make sure everyone knows what’s being said,” he explained. “It’s a casual, friendly atmosphere. We sound things out, laugh at the jokes and listen for the rhythm.”

As the weather improves, Scalise hopes to take advantage of the library’s beautiful setting and take the readings outside.

“We go to the theater nowadays, and we conform to 19th-centruy rules,” he said. “We sit back rigidly in our seats and watch. Outside, you can bring a blanket, lie down and take a deep breath. People are more relaxed outside.”

Shakespeare was a genius with a rare gift, Scalise said. More than 400 years after they were written and first acted on stage, the messages in his plays still ring true today.

“Take Hamlet,” he said. “Those simple words – ‘To be or not to be.’ It’s about living your life or not living your life. He captured a fundamental element common to the human condition. What’s so wonderful is that that very basic human condition – that question we all face – hasn’t changed that much in four centuries.”

In October, Scalise plans a production of Hamlet in a local cemetery by torchlight. Join him for a reading of Hamlet at his next Shakespeare Aloud session at Laura’s Library on March 29 at 6 p.m. Laura’s Library is located at 9411 Bee Cave Road.