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.
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. Enrollment for 2024 summer sessions is closed Sign up to get first notice for 2025 sessions, including
the Advanced Shakespeare Workshop for ages 12-18.
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 September 9 panel conversation featured Stanford’s Dr. Roland Greene in conversation about The Tempest with SF Shakes Board Member Dan Rabinowitz and Artistic Director Carla Pantoja.
Dr. Greene’s research and teaching are concerned with the early modern literatures of England, Latin Europe, and the transatlantic world, and with poetry and poetics from the Renaissance to the present.
Join us for this informative conversation about the rich themes and motifs found in The Tempest.
The August 19 panel conversation featured cast and company members from this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest in conversation with SF Shakes Board Member Dan Rabinowitz and Artistic Director Carla Pantoja.
Behind-the-scenes perspectives were presented by actors David Everett Moore and Nic Moore and Music Director/Composer Jen Coogan and Costume Designer Bethany Deal.
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.
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.
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.
As we look back on our 42nd season of Free Shakespeare in the Park, we ask for your financial support - please donate today: ow.ly/boZT50TBPMX
Revisit the season with our photo album of “The Tempest” at San Francisco’s Sue Bierman Park - thank you San Francisco! Much appreciation to BARTable, BXP, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, and countless individual donors for helping Free Shakespeare debut at Sue Bierman Park this summer with "The Tempest"!
We’re appreciative of the warm welcome we received from Downtown SF, Into the Streets SF, the Civic Joy Fund, SF New Deal, Vacant to Vibrant SF, Office of San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed, SF District 3, and the Office of Workforce Development. Come on back downtown!
Sue Bierman Photos: ow.ly/LMZ450TBPMW
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As we look back on our 42nd season of Free Shakespeare in the Park, we ask for your financial support - please donate today: sfshakes.org/donate
Revisit the season with our photo album of “The Tempest” at San Francisco’s McLaren Park - thank you San Francisco! Much appreciation to San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, The Bernard Osher Fund, Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, California Arts Council, Grants for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Recology, Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA), Theater League of Kansas City, and the many individual donors for helping Free Shakespeare return to McLaren Park this summer with The Tempest!
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Ariel’s flight is enchanting 😄
As we look back on our 42nd season of Free Shakespeare in the Park, we ask for your financial support - please donate today: ow.ly/JQFX50TBNLB
Revisit the season with our photo album of “The Tempest” at Redwood City’s Red Morton Park - thank you Redwood City! Much appreciation to the City of Redwood City; Redwood City Events; Redwood City Parks, Recreation & Community Services, and the many individual donors who helped Free Shakespeare return to Red Morton Park this summer with “The Tempest”!
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SAN FRANCISCO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
PO Box 46093
San Francisco, CA 94146-0937
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