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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 recordings of these lively and insightful discussions.
Thank you to all who made this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest a rousing success! Get on the notice list for info 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.
At the recent 'Second Annual Bay Area Shakespeare General Auditions’, over 250 awesome actors (equity & non-equity) registered to present Shakespeare monologues to a panel of representatives from SF Shakespeare Festival, Marin Shakespeare Company, SPARC, and Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park.
For those who couldn’t make the Shakespeare Generals, the TBA Generals in February will be another fantastic opportunity to shine. Looking forward to seeing you there!
www.theatrebayarea.org/general-auditions25/
1 CommentComment on Facebook
That makes so much sense to just do all the Shakespeare auditions together!
Earlier this month SF Shakes hosted an ‘Audition Workshop’ for those who are curious or new to auditioning with a Shakespeare monologue. Thank you to all (participants & presenters) who made it such a success!
Here are a few comments that we received:
“I just wanted to thank you (Evan, Carla and Ely) again for hosting such a wonderful event. I learned tons and would love to attend more in the future. I thought the workshop was accessible and well-paced. I would love to show up for more similar ones to make friends and continue to hone my skills.”
“Thank you so much for the workshop! It was very informative and rekindled my interest in studying Shakespeare.”
“Thank you all so much for hosting the workshop! I personally would love to see workshops on analyzing Shakespeare text and on performing Shakespeare scenes/monologues.”
"I was definitely able to apply the movement advice, counting iams, and online resources from your workshop directly to my audition piece, thank you again for holding the workshop!"
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Yay! I see a few of my students in the group photo!!
The Second Annual Bay Area Shakespeare General Audition is here!
Marin Shakespeare Company, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, SPARC (formerly Livermore Shakespeare), and Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park have joined forces to give artists the opportunity to be seen by all of us at once. Audition slots fill up fast—don't miss your chance!
For more information and pay rates visit ow.ly/INte50TK3wi and sign up here: ow.ly/c6oF50TK3wh
We greatly encourage BIPOC, LGBTQiA+, gender non-conforming, and disabled people to audition.
Note: the BASG (Bay Area Shakespeare General) cohort is still reeling with the devastating news from Cal Shakes, but have decided to move forward and get the audition information out to our folks as timely as we can.
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SAN FRANCISCO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
PO Box 46093
San Francisco, CA 94146-0937
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