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San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s mission is to make the words and themes of Shakespeare accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, financial status or level of education. By lowering practical and perceptual barriers, we encourage broad participation in the arts and make these activities a part of community life.
The Festival serves as a catalyst for audience development by reaching thousands of people who otherwise do not attend live theater or may have never experienced it at all. Our programming represents the plays in their finest light, demonstrates their relevance to today’s society, and inspires our students and audiences to seek out additional theatrical experiences.
We are dedicated to arts education, using our programs to foster a life-long appreciation of learning and the arts. We offer day camps and classes for children age 7 to 17, as well as in-school residencies and playshops.
Bring the magic of live theater and the beauty of Shakespeare’s poetic language to YOUR location. Send your booking requests NOW for this popular title!
The production is professionally directed and suitable for elementary students through adults. The tour visits schools, libraries, and community centers throughout the state. Schools also receive a curriculum guide written by professional educators, with lesson plans designed to help teachers prepare their students to more fully appreciate the performance.
Shakespeare’s Heartbeat uses the Hunter Heartbeat Method developed by Kelly Hunter of Flute Theatre, utilizing the iambic pentameter (heartbeat rhythm) of Shakespeare’s words and the physicality of his characters to engage with students on the autism spectrum. Geared towards grades 4-12.
In the Spring of 2024, SF Shakes Artistic Director Carla Pantoja and Board Member Dan Rabinowitz began hosting an online series of panel discussions with Shakespeare scholars, directors, performers, and designers.
Click the button below to access the recording of the Dec 16 conversation about SF Shakes’ 2025 season with directors Ely Sonny Orquiza and Katja Rivera, as well as all of the ‘Let’s Talk…’ series.
In this entertaining comedy two young men journey from a small Midwestern town – rooted in simplicity and tradition – to the alluring promise of California, where dreams are made and shattered in equal measure. Get on the notice list for updates about Free Shakespeare in the Park 2025!
Experience welcome but not required for our Bay Area Shakespeare Camp programs for ages 7-13. Sign up to get first notice for 2025 summer sessions, including the Advanced Shakespeare Workshop for ages 12-18.
The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s annual Gala and Auction will return on Saturday April 26, 2025 to the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club in the vibrant North Beach neighborhood.
Mark your calendars now for a fun and festive event that will include excellent food and drinks, exciting auction prizes, and a one-hour performance of Romeo and Juliet.
The July 8 conversation featured Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper, the incoming Director of The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC.
Board Member Dan Rabinowitz hosted this third discussion, in which he and SF Shakes Artistic Director Carla Pantoja engaged in conversation about The Tempest with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper. The discussion explored and examined her deeply thoughtful analysis of race, gender and otherness in The Tempest, along with a radical reappraisal of society in Elizabethan London, the backdrop from which Shakespeare’s plays emerged and against which they were presented.
The June 17 conversation featured this summers’ Free Shakes in the Park Director Rotimi Agbabiaka in conversation with SF Shakes Artistic Director Carla Pantoja and was hosted by SF Shakes Board Member Dan Rabinowitz.
Dan and Carla engaged in lively and insightful discussion with Rotimi, who shared his directorial perspectives on this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest and his intent to highlight the themes of forgiveness and recovering from loss.
We’re delighted to share a recording of this fascinating panel conversation (that took place on March 25), featuring Dr. Will Tosh, Head of Research at Shakespeare’s Globe, London in conversation with SF Shakes Artistic Director Carla Pantoja and hosted by SF Shakes Board Member Dan Rabinowitz.
Dan, Carla, and Will touched on a wide variety of the remarkable features and the artistic and historical context of this wonderful comedy. They see it as a remarkable social commentary that is just as relevant today as it was in 1599, as Shakespeare’s great implicit feminist statement, and as a play that touches on and implicates gender issues more broadly in ways that resonate with our audiences.
Our annual gala fundraiser returns April 20, 2024 with All The World’s A Stage at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. Celebrating our 42 years of Shakespeare, there will be dining, a live performance of As You Like It, and everyone can participate in the auction to make donations and bid on wine, travel, experiences, and more.
Saturday Upstart Crows classes are physically and mentally engaging weekend sessions where students age 11-18 deepen their skills and knowledge through a comprehensive rehearsal process that explores language, history, voice, movement, text analysis, and play.
Hi again!
Many people know about Free Shakespeare in the Park, but today I want to highlight the accomplishments of three of our education programs this past year!
Despite funding challenges, our educational programs are still a vital connection point between our productions and the community. What a joy to hear Shakespeare Campers connected with the professional actors who played the same role they did in Camp! A generous camp family came through to bridge a gap in funds, so that we were able to offer a community space for teens this summer at our ‘Advanced Shakespeare Workshop’.
sfshakes.org/education/camps/
We arranged two gatherings for our Shakespeare For All Neighbors (S4AN) community: a workshop series for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Program Manager and Resident Artist Maryssa Wanlass led the group to attend a performance of ‘Measure for Measure’, then a group picnic at our Free Shakes production of ‘The Tempest’. Partnering with The Healing Well, Maryssa and a small team of teaching artists are building a wonderful community in the Tenderloin.
sfshakes.org/community/s4an/
At Shakespeare’s Heartbeat, our program for students on the autism spectrum, Education Program Manager Evan Held and Joseph Schmitz throw their whole selves into every class they lead. When nearly $30,000 in grants for this program fell through, people like Emily Cooke and Naggi Asmar came through with matching funds that made it possible to continue serving students on the autism spectrum through play that uplifts the rhythm, phrases, and characters of Shakespeare.
sfshakes.org/heartbeat/
Contributions from people just like you make this work possible. Please, if you can, consider making a donation before December 31, so that we can keep on making great art and great arts education available and accessible.
sfshakes.org/donate/
Thank you for being a part of the San Francisco Shakespeare community. We couldn’t do it without you!
- Carla Pantoja, Artistic Director
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Thank you KQED Arts for highlighting this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of ‘The Tempest’ in ‘The Best Bay Area Theater We Saw in 2024’!
“…the joys of witnessing a mesmerizing Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe wreak magical havoc in SF Shakes’ The Tempest…” – Nicole Gluckstern, KQED
www.kqed.org/arts/13968828/best-bay-area-theater-2024
(L to R) Nic Moore as Ferdinand, Alex Camerino as Miranda, Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe* as Prospero in SF Shakes' 2024 production of 'The Tempest' (*Member Actors' Equity Association)
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Hi again!
Our incredible Shakespeare on Tour team started out 2024 rehearsing ‘As You Like It’ in our spacious but drafty shop. Because the tour is where I started with SF Shakes (don’t ask how long ago), it holds a special place in my heart.
Imagine showing up for work at 6 am only to find that SF Shakes’ beloved van was stolen? The SF Shakes community came through so that we could make a down payment on a used (but new to us) van, and the Tour was literally on the road again!
If you would like to help us pay off our van loan, so that we can focus on this spring’s Tour of Romeo and Juliet, we would happily accept your donation!
sfshakes.org/donate/
These fine actors heartily thank you for your support, so that we can keep coming through for you. We couldn’t do it without you!
-Carla Pantoja, SF Shakes Artistic Director
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SAN FRANCISCO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
PO Box 46093
San Francisco, CA 94146-0937
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