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Our 43rd season of Free Shakespeare in the Park brings you The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Ely Sonny Orquiza. Since 1983, as part of SF Shakes’ mission to make Shakespeare accessible to all, we’ve brought our Free Shakes production to audiences around the SF Bay Area; no tickets or Shakespeare experience required.
In this summer’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 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. The two friends who venture westward confront their inner conflicts as they are seduced by the possibilities of love, success and reinvention. Grounded in the spirit of exploration, this adaptation captures the quintessential drive for self invention, while acknowledging the costs that often accompany it.
Scroll down to see the 2025 season schedule, download the program, meet the cast and crew, join the team, donate, and view production photos. Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this page.
In 2025 we return to three of our longtime Free Shakes partners – Cupertino’s Memorial Park, Redwood City’s Red Morton Park, and San Francisco’s McLaren Park, in addition to returning for our second year at San Francisco’s Sue Bierman Park. Click the Venue Info button for important information including location, transportation, food options, and important tips for attending.
* Preview show (preview shows allow the cast and crew to make adjustments before opening in each venue; all are welcome to attend these complete performances.)
+ Opening show
*Sat July 19 – 6pm
*Sun July 20 – 6pm
*Sat July 26 – 6pm
*Sun July 27 – 6pm
+Sat Aug 2 – 6pm
Sun Aug 3 – 6pm
*Sat Aug 9 – 6pm
+Sun Aug 10 – 6pm
Sat Aug 16 – 6pm
Sun Aug 17 – 6pm
Sat Aug 23 – 6pm
Sun Aug 24 – 6pm
*Sat Aug 30 – 2pm
*Sun Aug 31 – 2pm
+Mon Sept 1 – 2pm
Sat Sept 6 – 2pm
Sun Sept 7 – 2pm
*Sat Sept 13 – 2pm
+Sun Sept 14 – 2pm
Sat Sept 20 – 2pm
Sun Sept 21 – 2pm
*Sat Sept 16 – 4pm
+Sun Sept 17 – 4pm
Sat Sept 23 – 4pm
Sun Sept 24 – 4pm
As part of our ongoing commitment to the environment, we no longer print paper programs. Click here to download the program or enter sfshakes.org/program in your browser.
Click here to download Dramaturgy Notes.
You may also scan QR codes posted in the park to download the program (which also contains a link to dramaturgy notes).
TYLER AGUALLO
VALENTINE
Tyler (He/Him) is ecstatic to join SF Shakes for The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Nearly a decade after spending his childhood as an SF Shakes summer camper, Tyler returns to the company that raised him for his Shakespeare In The Park debut. His most recent roles include Caliban in a touring production of The Tempest (Prague Shakespeare Company, 2024), Trip Wyeth in Other Desert Cities (Masquers Playhouse, 2025), and Father Flynn in Doubt, A Parable (Pacifica Spindrift Players, 2025). Tyler has also trained globally at the Prague Shakespeare Company in Prague, Czechia, and the Lir Academy in Dublin, Ireland. Some of his film credits include award winning short films; Premium Casket (2024) and A Quarter of Silence (2022), and feature films; Mary Kwon Mary Kwon (2026) and Dark Feathers (2024). He received his BA in Theatre Arts at San Francisco State University in May 2024.
ANTHONY DOAN
LUCETTA / THURIO
Anthony (he/they) is delighted to return to San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. They are a queer, first-generation Vietnamese-American theatre artist currently based in the Bay Area. Notable acting credits include Celia/Adam/Phebe in last year’s educational tour of As You Like It, Nguyễn/Quang/Sam in the world premiere Colonialism is Terrible, but Phở is Delicious (Aurora Theatre Company & Oreg Contemporary Theatre); Christian in Cyrano de Bergerac: A Queeroic Comedy (Island Shakespeare Festival). Anthony strives to viscerally entertain and challenge audiences, provoke political thoughts, and inspire people to empathetically listen to the world in a different vibration. IG: @theanthonydoan
MICHELLE NAVARRETE*
DUKE OF MILAN / ANTONIO / EGLAMOUR / OUTLAW 3
Michelle (she/her) “Me siento muy…EXCITED!” to be part of this joyous ride with SF Shakes and the talented cast and crew! Michelle is a Theatre Artist and Performer, born and raised in SF and the greater Bay Area. She fell in love with performing and storytelling at an early age. From singing her Abuelitas’ favorite Rancheras to belting out show tunes, Michelle has always followed her fire within. After receiving her BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College, she continued her
career in NYC performing and producing theatre. In the Bay Area, Michelle has worked with Golden Thread Productions, Center Rep, SF Playhouse, Cal Shakes, TheatreFirst, Custom Made Theatre Co, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Impact Theatre, Faultline Theatre, Native Writers Theater and Theatre Cultura, to name a few. As a performer, educator, and activist, she has made theatre and the performing arts part of her life and message.
EMILY NEWSOME*
SILVIA / OUTLAW 2
Emily is thrilled to be making her SF Shakes debut with The Two Gentlemen of Verona! She received her BFA in Acting from UC Santa Barbara where she performed in multiple productions including A Streetcar Named Desire, The Arabian Nights, and In the Red and Brown Water. Past Bay Area production credits include Aurora Theatre Company’s Fallen Angels (Jane Banbury), A.C.T.’s A Christmas Carol (Belle/Mary), and the world premiere of Froggy (Voice of Froggy) at Center Repertory Company. Emily is also a proud co-founder of Berkeley Shakespeare Company.
JOEL OCHOA
LAUNCE / SPEED
Joel is so excited to be back at SF Shakes after previously working on The Tempest!
Recent Bay Area Credits: A Chorus Line, Curious Incident… (SF Playhouse), Mame (42nd Street Moon), Macbeth, Julius Caesar Twisted (Marin Shakespeare Company), and Peter Pan (Presidio Theatre). Recent On-Screen credits: Take Me There, Under the Lights, The Scenic Route, and commercials with Pegasus Solar and Exo Inc. BA Theatre from Millikin University, MFA Acting from Academy of Art University. When not performing, Joel can be seen as a teaching artist, a social media associate, and drinking a good coffee. His thanks to the whole team for this special show and to the people that push him to be a better artist and a better human – this one’s for you.
BRENNAN PICKMAN-THOON*
PROTEUS
Brennan is thrilled to return to SF Shakes! You may have seen him waving a thermos around as Stephano/Antonio in last year’s SF Shakes production of The Tempest. Other favorite credits include Bulrusher, Throwback Island, Metamorphoses, The Good Book (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), A Christmas Carol (A.C.T.), Mother of the Maid (Marin Theatre Company), Macbeth (California Shakespeare Theater), Home, Boys Go to Jupiter (Word For Word), The Gentleman Caller (NCTC), Timon of Athens, Phedre, (Cutting Ball Theater), and Hamlet (Marin Shakespeare Company). When not performing, he teaches for American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and SFArtsED. He won the 2019 SFBATCC Award for Actor in a Principal Role and is a member of AEA. For more, please visit brennanpickmanthoon.com. Love to family + C!
CHANEL TILGHMAN*
JULIA / OUTLAW 1
Chanel hails from the San Francisco Bay Area, and holds a BA in Communication and a double minor in Theatre and Music Industry from the University of Southern California. She is honored to be making her San Francisco Shakespeare debut! Regional theatre credits include Tinkerbell in Peter Pan (Panto in the Presidio), Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (American Conservatory Theater), Belle in A Christmas Carol (Center REPertory Company), and Kitty Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley). Other notable stage performances include Evita with San Francisco Playhouse; Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors, and Mamma Mia! with Berkeley Playhouse; Kinky Boots with Ray of Light Productions; Passing Strange with Shotgun Players; and The Little Mermaid with Lucky Penny Productions. Chanel is also a seasoned teaching artist, and educates K-12 youth in theatre arts across the greater Bay Area. ig: @chantilly.v
MIKKI JOHNSON
U/S: JULIA / OUTLAW 1 / LUCETTA / THURIO
Mikki (she/her/he/him) is Vocalist and Bay Area native who studied Theatre Arts (with the concentration of Acting and Musical Theater) at California State East Bay. He has recently been seen onstage as Paulette in Legally Blonde with the Ray of Light theater company and previously in Ms.Bennett’s Christmas at Pemberley with the Altarena theater company and A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Berkeley Shakespeare Company. Mikki is very passionate about voice artistry and amplifying BIPOC and LGBTQ+ presence in the theater and entertainment world. IG: @MikkiRJ93
CHRISTOPHER PRESCOTT
U/S: PROTEUS / LAUNCE / SPEED
Christopher Prescott is a prolific actor, producer, director, standup comedian, writer, and teaching artist. During his career in theatre, he has had the opportunity to work with such astounding theatre companies as We Players, Stanford Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks, Merlin Entertainments, American Immersion Theater, Northside Theater, Pear Avenue Theater, and many others. He is the recipient of the Hal Todd Award for Excellence in Acting from San Jose State University (2010), as well as a Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Ensemble (2015). This production marks his third tour with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and first Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
ELY SONNY ORQUIZA
DIRECTOR
Ely (he/him), a 2023 YBCA 100 Honoree, is a multidisciplinary Queer Filipino artistic director, stage director, and arts educator native to San Francisco Bay Area, the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone People. Through theater and the performing arts Orquiza illuminates the experiences of the Asian diaspora, explores the politics of Queer/ness, and amplifies the voices and narratives of People from the Global Majority. As an artist, Orquiza draws on his heritage and lived experiences to create stunning theatrical productions that captivate audiences and spark meaningful conversations about equity and representation. Through his art and advocacy, he is breaking down barriers and elevating marginalized voices for the American Theatre. For extended bio: elysonnyorquiza.org
KATJA RIVERA
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Katja (she/her) is a Theater Artist, Bodyworker and Abuela. She is originally from Los Angeles, and studied theater at LACC Theatre Academy and Drama Studio London at Berkeley. Bay Area acting credits include: Shotgun Players, Magic Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Center Rep. Directing credits include Shotgun Players, Theatre Cultura, Douglas Morrison, CustomMade, RPE (Danville), SF Playground and TheatreFIRST. She is a long-time company member of Shotgun Players, an associate producer with PlayGround-SF and a member of Latinx Mafia. Recent directing credits include: Yerma (Shotgun Players) La Vida Loca (Theatre Cultura) References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Custom Made Theatre).
CARLA PANTOJA
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / FIGHT DIRECTOR
Carla (she/they) born and raised in the South Bay, is an actor, fight director, teaching artist, intimacy director, and mom of two. She has been a Resident Artist of San Francisco Shakespeare Festival since 2014 and recently served as Director of Vision for the 2021 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, directing episodes 2 and 4. In 2020, she was in the acting company at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, returning in 2022 as the festival’s first female fight director. Carla is an associate instructor for Dueling Arts International and serves on their governing body as Vice President. She is also a proud member of Making Good Trouble, an anti-racist training cohort based in the Bay Area. Carla has directed SF Shakes’ Shakespeare on Tour production of Romeo and Juliet and Comedy of Errors and Assistant Directed the 2017 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. She played Paulina in Free Shakespeare in the Park’s The Winter’s Tale, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, and Kate in The Taming of the Shrew. She’s performed with Cal Shakes, Shotgun Players, Crowded Fire, Playground, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and the SF Mime Troupe in the Bay Area to name a few.
PRATIKSHA SHAH
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Pratiksha (she/her) is not just a production manager but a true visionary genius behind the scenes. This means balancing a million tasks while staying on top of everything that’s going on – rehearsal schedules, hiring crews and designers, contracts, and payrolls to name a few. Pratiksha graduated from Foothill Theater Conservatory and has been an active part of the theater world for the past 10 years. She fell in love with Shakespeare during school and joined San Francisco Shakespeare Festival at the onset of the pandemic in January 2020. In her short tenure of 4 years with SF Shakes she has supported and mastered: fully virtual productions (King Lear), episodic virtual hybrid productions (Pericles), and in-person productions in three different park locations (Much Ado About Nothing). In her spare time, she produces shorts, commercials, web series, features and so much more!
NEAL ORMOND
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR / SCENIC, GRAPHIC, & WEB DESIGNER / BUILDER, PAINTER, MOVER / SITE SERVICES
Neal (he/him) has been the Technical Director of San Francisco Shakespeare Festival since 2017, serving also as webmaster, graphic designer, scenic designer, master carpenter, and managing infrastructure and venue logistics. A 2001 graduate of Stanford University, he subsequently founded NAO Design and spent the next decade expanding into the realms of web, graphic, product, sound, scenic, and automotive design, lighting, furniture, signage, pyrotechnics, robotics, and architecture. From there he spent four years as Manager of Art and Technology at the advertising conglomerate Publicis. Upon joining the ranks of SF Shakes, Neal found it to be a tremendous match for all these miscellaneous skills! At the onset of the COVID pandemic he developed SF Shakes’ “Unified Virtual Space” method of compositing more than a dozen live, remote actors into a shared virtual space onscreen, the first such undertaking worldwide. Future plans include the first-ever production of Shakespeare in Space.
nealormond.com.
PENNY PENDLETON*
AEA STAGE MANAGER
Penny (she/her) Investing her time in creating safe places for “play,” Penny’s been honored to have managed the stage for Ted Neeley in Jesus Christ Superstar (Egyptian Theatre), Lauren Graham in Unscripted (Curran Theatre), Neil deGrasse Tyson in Astronomy Bizarre (Orpheum Theatre), and Nigella Lawson (Sydney Goldstein Theatre). Production League Credits: Oklahoma! (North American Tour) and A Christmas Carol (Golden Gate Theatre). Regional Credits include: San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, CenterREP, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, PCPA Theatrefest, Presidio Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, and the Sting & Honey Company.
GABRIELLA HOWELL
DECK MANAGER
Gaby (she/any) is thrilled to be returning to San Francisco Shakespeare as a member of the Tempest team! She started her Bay Area theatre career as a stage management intern for the company’s 2016 run of The Winter’s Tale and since then has joined SF Shakes the past five years as ASM/Wardrobe Assistant for As You Like It: A New Musical, ASM/Props Coordinator for King Lear, Props/Costumes Coordinator for Takes on Shakes, Props/Wardrobe Supervisor for Pericles, and Deck Manager for Much Ado About Nothing and Cymbeline. Other highlights of her past work include stage managing Urinetown at Berkeley Playhouse and Lamplighters’ 2019 & 2021 champagne galas.
JEN COOGAN
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Jen (she/her) began as a performer, but started writing musicals in her desire to create more roles for women. Her composer credits include the As You Like It 2024 Tour (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival) The Morning After My Family Fell Apart, (Left Coast Theatre Company) and The Oregon Trail Pages (Musical Cafe Showcase). She is developing The New Teacher with Superbad Theatre Company, The Last Open Mic with WildHorse Stage Co., and is the creator of The Women in Theatre Project; featuring songs based on her personal interviews from some of the most influential women in theatre, which is making its concert debut at 54 Below in NYC this October.
JUSTIN RAYNA
SOUND TEAM – MUSIC COMPOSER
Justin (he/him) is an award-winning percussionist, composer, and producer. He’s a recipient of the 2000 Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for prolific creativity and the 2001 Garden State Circuit 1st Place Snare Solo Award. In 2018 Justin released his debut album INTENSIFY, presenting a full-length concert featuring seven dance companies, three circus arts companies, two actors, and a 16-piece orchestra. Justin studied Music Theory & Composition at the University of Tennessee and graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Music and Theatre from East Tennessee State University. Justin currently resides in Tennessee, close to his wife’s family.
GRACE BENEPRICE
PROPS MASTER
Grace (she/they) is a deeply elusive, borderline unhirable, theatrical specialties artisan, who has spent decades behind the scenes at Bay Area theatres. When not designing a breakaway magical staff or a disappearing banquet, you mind find evidence of their artistic influence in the sparkle of a koi puppet, the perfect art deco lorgnette, a shimmering golden ticket or a trio of six-foot goddess wings made out of crutches. While they cannot be pinned down to any home company, they regularly haunt the Compound Gallery Studios in Emeryville, and Analog Theatre’s Mask Monday series at Standard Deviant Brewing (analogtheatre.org).
BETHANY DEAL
COSTUME DESIGNER
Bethany (she/her) Bethany Deal is a local costume designer, maker, coordinator, hair stylist, and MUA with her company, Designs by Deal LLC. She has her MFA in Costume Design/Hair & Make-Up design. She currently is a costume production supervisor for CSU East Bay & Oakland Ballet. She is also a licensed cosmetologist. You may have seen her costume designs in the greater bay area most recently Spring Awakening at Napa Valley College,12th Night, Marin Shakespeare Company (SF Chronicle’s “Leaping Man”) Es Una Vida Maravillousa-Shakespeare Napa Valley, Perfect Arrangement-Hillbarn Theater, A Marriage (World Premiere)-T1. Past productions… A Christmas Carol-Center Rep, Llama Llama Live! National Tour-BACT, Caroline, or Change-Ray of Light Theater, Ain’t Misbehavin (BATCC nomination for Best in the Bay overall production), 110 in the Shade, Saturday Night, New Girl In Town-42nd Street Moon, Joseph…, Sister Act-Broadway By the Bay, Dream Girls, Sister Act and Annie-Berkeley Playhouse. Beyond the bay includes Mr. Marmalade-Garage Theatre, Legally Blonde the Musical-USU & Stockton Civic Theater, The Fantasticks-OMG, Shrek The Musical (Winner Broadway World Sacramento Best Costume Design) Beehive!: the 60’s Musical, and Trailer Park-Sierra Repertory Theater. Her Hair & Make-up Designs include –Vanya Sonia Masha & Spike, Rock Of Ages and Freaky Friday at Center Rep, as well as Beehive!:the 60’s Musical at Sierra Rep. Other collaborations include California’s Great America, CMT- Music Circus, Town Hall Theater, and many more. In addition to the stage, Ms. Deal has worked in film and television including Costume Designer for “Not Your Year” (available on amazon prime), “North Beach” and recently wrapped principle photography on “The Trees Have Eyes”. Salt Lake City 48 Hour Film Project Winner in 2013. Instagram @costumegirl_deal.
MAYA HERBSMAN
INTIMACY DIRECTOR
Maya (she/he) is an award-winning intimacy director, educator, and director. Maya has been the first intimacy professional at theaters across Northern California including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks Silicon Valley, San Francisco Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, Shotgun Players, Crowded Fire Theater, Z Space, Cutting Ball Theater, San Francisco Opera and many more. Her work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, J Magazine, OperaLine, HowlRound, and various podcasts. You can also find her writing in “Supporting Staged Intimacy” by Alexis Black and Tina Newhauser. She is certified through Intimacy Directors and Coordinators. Maya also works as an intimacy professional for film and opera.
ANDY ALABRAN
VOICE AND TEXT COACH
Andy (he/him) received his M.F.A. in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater and his B.A. in Theater from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has over 20 years of experience as a teacher, director, and performer in the Bay Area. He has taught at the American Conservatory Theater Young Conservatory and Studio, California Shakespeare Theater, Oakland School for the Arts, 826 Valencia (Tenderloin), Voice One, Stagebridge, Mission High, Burton High School, and Hayward High School. He directed A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory productions of Electra, The Glass Menagerie, Discovering Beckett, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Dancing at Lughnasa. He served as voice and speech coach for: Begets, The Wolves, and Hookman. He has performed with Theatre First, the Shotgun Players, and Killing My Lobster. A current company member of the Shotgun Players since 2000, his acting credits include Woyzeck, The Death of Meyerhold, A Seagull in the Hamptons, Truffaldino Says No (world premiere), and Mother Courage.
LEE JUE
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
Hi my name is Lee (any) and I am based in the South Bay. This is my first time working with SF Shakes! I find great joy in anything costume related and in my spare time work on my own costumes to cosplay at conventions. In my spare time I do community organizing, draw, and enjoy the occasional video game. I hope you enjoy the magic created by the crew and actors for this production of The Tempest.
MICHAEL KELLY
AUDIO ENGINEER / LEAD SOUND TECHNICIAN
Bio to be submitted.
RACHEL KATIN
SOUND TECHNICIAN
Bio to be submitted.
RACHEL BRATT
HOSPITALITY MANAGER
Rachel Bratt (she/her) is delighted to be returning to SF Shakes for another fabulous summer! Rachel started her journey at SF Shakes in 2017, and has Stage Managed all in-person annual galas since. This is her fourth year as Hospitality Manager for Free Shakes, and already she can’t imagine a summer without it. During the school year, Rachel is the Drama Director for Stratford Schools, which she regards as a fun nod to keeping Shakespeare in her life year-round! She looks forward to welcoming you to the park! Please feel free to stop by the Hospitality table to say hello!
LEE GARBER-PATEL
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
Lee (they/them) has worked on several productions in a variety of capacities, from backstage to onstage. In their first year as a production intern with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, they focused on the costumes and wardrobe department. They are currently in their third year at UC Berkeley, working towards a B.A. in Media Studies, with a double minor in Theatre and Ethnic Studies.
NATALIE SEPULVEDA
WARDROBE INTERN
Natalie is so excited to join the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival as a wardrobe/costume intern this summer! They first became involved with theater and costuming in fourth grade for a production of Beauty and the Beast. Some of their other favorite shows to help make costumes for have been James and the Giant Peach, Newsies, and The Wizard of Oz. In addition to helping behind the scenes in the costume and wardrobe department for local community musicals, Natalie loves being a part of their high school’s Tech Crew which provides sound support for any school event with live music.
CORA SHIMETZ
PROPS INTERN
Cora Shimetz (Class of 2023 Theater Tech, Ruth Asawa School of the Arts) has designed, built and managed props for shows such as Hamlet, Marisol and Urinetown. She is the recipient of the Alumni Promise Award, Certificate of High Honors and California Seal of Biliteracy (Spanish). She is an alumni of multiple SF shakes camps and the Advanced Shakespeare Workshop. She loves the art of prop making and is excited to set her skills to work in a professional production! In the fall she will be attending Cal Poly Humboldt to continue her studies in technical theater and beyond.
JOHN WESTERN
MARKETING DIRECTOR
John has been a fan of Free Shakespeare in the Park since its inception in 1983 with The Tempest. He is responsible for the marketing and advertising of all Festival programs. He received his B.A. from Cleveland State University and continuing education credits from the advertising program at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Extended Learning. Mr. Western has been on the Festival staff since 1998, and has ten years of experience in theater advertising and promotion, plus two years of management experience in the public relations field.
MEREDITH ELDRED
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
A graduate of San Francisco State University, Meredith is a long time member of the San Francisco arts community who has worked extensively with EXIT Theater and the SF Fringe festival as a director and producer, was a founding member of Misery/Loves Co. and has staged works at Theater Rhino, Mission Cultural Center and Brava. Through her work as an Arts and Parent Engagement Coordinator at SFUSD she guided innovative partnerships between arts organizations, school staff and families to strengthen relationships and support student achievement. In her role as Development Associate she is able to continue her work in supporting equitable arts access in the Bay Area.
TOBY LEAVITT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Toby oversees all aspects of the Shakespeare Festival’s programs. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Chicago, and received her Masters from the University of Chicago Business School in 1997. Prior to joining the Festival in 1998, she served as General Manager for Chicago’s Court Theatre. She oversaw their financial growth from a $1.6 million to $2.8 million annual budget, guided the theatre in developing a 5-year strategic plan to become the National Center for Classic Theatre, and managed the ensuing strategic growth of the organization. Prior to her four years with the Court, she worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as Senior Editor and Director of Marketing Communications. Her accomplishments in audience development have been recognized by the Arts Marketing Center of Chicago and the Marshall Fields Foundation. She has served as a management consultant for Chicago Opera Theater, the Piven Theater Workshop, and Roadworks Theater Company, and has served as a panelist for the San Francisco Art Commission’s Cultural Equity Initiatives Grant program.
Free Shakes in the Park employs around 40 seasonal actors, directors, designers, technicians, and interns. We believe that a diverse organization is a better organization and that the art itself is greatly improved by collaboration among people with different backgrounds and perspectives. If you’re interested in being a part of our 2025 production, check out the following pages for available positions:
As a non-profit organization, SF Shakes is committed to producing high-quality theater and making it accessible to all, in part by eliminating any cost of entry, while at the same time striving to be an industry leader in providing a living wage to all actors, designers, staff, and crew. This is no easy feat, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of community members like you.
If, like us, you believe that the performing arts have the ability to unify us in our humanity, help us heal, and you have the means to do so, then please, take action today and donate. No donation is too large or too small. You can give either in the park or online:
In addition to support from individual donors, Free Shakes in the Park is made possible by our 2025 sponsors:
Shirts, sweaters, onesies, hats, bags, pillows, water bottles, and more! Stock up on all the layers and accessories you might need for the park, while rocking the Two Gents graphic.
After the production opens in July, below you will find official Tempest production photos, along with links to external photo albums.
The Tempest –
Cupertino
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Tempest –
Redwood City
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Tempest –
SF McLaren Park
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Tempest –
SF Sue Bierman Park
Photos by Neal Ormond
SAN FRANCISCO SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
PO Box 46093
San Francisco, CA 94146-0937
Stay Informed:
© 2025 San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, a 501c3 non-profit organization.
