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Our 44th season of Free Shakespeare in the Park brings you Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Katja Rivera. 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.
Set against the backdrop of the Roman Empire and Egypt, Antony and Cleopatra examines the conflict between duty and desire, and the impact of personal relationships on political power. Performing for thousands this July through September, the play travels from Cupertino’s Memorial Park, to Redwood City’s Red Morton Park, then San Francisco’s McLaren and Sue Bierman Parks.
The show runs approximately 90 minutes; there is no intermission.
Scroll down to see the 2026 season schedule, meet the cast and some of the crew (more to come!), join the team, and donate. Use the menu on the left to quickly navigate this page.
In 2026 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 third year at San Francisco’s Sue Bierman Park.
* 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 25 – 6pm
*Sun July 26 – 6pm
*Sat Aug 1 – 6pm
*Sun Aug 2 – 6pm
+Sat Aug 8 – 6pm
Sun Aug 9 – 6pm
*Sat Aug 15 – 6pm
+Sun Aug 16 – 6pm
Sat Aug 22 – 6pm
Sun Aug 23 – 6pm
Sat Aug 29 – 6pm
Sun Aug 30 – 6pm
*Sat Sept 5 – 2pm
*Sun Sept 6 – 2pm
+Mon Sept 7 – 2pm
Sat Sept 12 – 2pm
Sun Sept 13 – 2pm
*Sat Sept 19 – 2pm
+Sun Sept 20 – 2pm
Sat Sept 26 – 2pm
Sun Sept 27 – 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
CAESAR / MESSENGER
Tyler (He/Him) Tyler is thrilled to return to SF Shakes for Antony & Cleopatra. You may have seen him in the park last summer as Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. His other recent theatre credits include Gods & Monsters (New Conservatory Theatre), Dracula (SF Playhouse), and Frankenstein (Theatre Lunatico). 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.
ELIZABETH CARTER*
CLEOPATRA
Elizabeth is a longtime SF Bay Area actor/director. Her acting credits include You Never Can Tell, Othello, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, for California Shakespeare Theater, The Crucible and The Convert for Marin Theatre Co. where she was nominated for both SFBATCC and TBA Awards, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Nickel and Dimed at TheatreWorks, The Merry Wives of Windsor for SF Shakespeare Festival, and The Black Rider at Shotgun Players. At the Aurora Theatre Co. she has been seen in Trouble in Mind, Wittenburg, where she was nominated for a SFBATCC Award and The Heir Apparent and the original cast of the acclaimed Eureka Day! Elizabeth continues to direct regionally and is a SDCF Lloyd Richards New Futures Resident Director and current Lucas Arts Fellow.
MICHELLE NAVARRETE*
AGRIPPA / SOOTHSAYER / MESSENGER
Michelle is a proud Salvadoreña, San Francisco–based actor, theatre artist, and educator. She is thrilled to return to the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival family after appearing last season in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. She began her theatre training at A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory before earning her BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College and performing and producing theatre in New York City. A versatile Bay Area performer, her credits include work with California Shakespeare Theater, SF Playhouse, Golden Thread Productions, Center REP, TheatreFirst, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, and Custom Made Theatre. Notable roles include Abuela Claudia (In the Heights), Miriam (Returning to Haifa), Pilar (Far Far Better Things), and Aunt Spiker (James and the Giant Peach). Endless love and gratitude to her family, friends, and ancestors. IG: @chingona19 | YouTube: @michellenavarrete19
EMILY NEWSOME*
CHARMIAN / OCTAVIA / LEPIDUS / MESSENGER / US: CLEOPATRA
Emily is an actor and teaching artist based in San Francisco. Previous credits include Sally and Tom (Luce/Sally) at Marin Theatre, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Sylvia/Outlaw), Froggy (Voice of Froggy) at Center Repertory Company, Fallen Angels (Jane Banbury) at Aurora Theatre Company, and American Conservatory Theatre’s A Christmas Carol (Belle/Mary). Emily holds a BFA in Acting from UC Santa Barbara, and is a proud co-founder of Berkeley Shakespeare Company.
JEREMY LEE OHTA*
ANTONY / COUNTRYMAN
Born and raised in the East Bay, Jeremy is thrilled to be making his San Francisco Shakespeare Festival debut. A former KRON4 multimedia journalist, Jeremy has worked as both a Murrow award-winning television journalist and an actor in New York City and Hawaii. Recent roles at the Palace Theater on Hawaii Island include Brutus in Julius Caesar and Billy Flynn in Chicago for HEART Hilo. Television credits include ER, Royal Pains and The Onion on IFC. Jeremy is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.
DEANALÍS AROCHO RESTO*
ENOBARBUS / EROS / DOLABELLA / US: ANTONY
Deanalís (they/he/she) is a proud queer Boricua artist, born on/raised by Susquehannock land in northeastern Turtle Island. They are delighted to be returning to Free Shakes In the Park after playing Posthumus in Cymbeline in 2023. Other favorite Bay Area credits include: Emcee, Cabaret (Oakland Theater Project); Chadwick, Co-Founders (American Conservatory Theater); Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar (Berkeley Playhouse); Jacques, As You Like It (San Francisco Playhouse); Leslie, Rachel Lark’s Coming Soon (Z Space). “Deepest gratitude to all my beloveds and the ancestors who stay looking out. May empire crumble, and from Turtle Island to Palestine, may we all be liberated and loved.”
CHRISTOPHER PRESCOTT CARTER
US: ENOBARBUS / EROS / DOLABELLA / CAESAR / MESSENGER
Christopher is a prolific actor. He has worked with such theatre companies as Stanford Repertory Theatre in Moby Dick Rehearsed, and Theatreworks in Big River. He appeared in the original stage production of The Kite Runner. He is working with Fever in The Jury Experience as well as Murder on the Seaside and American Immersion Theater in Death of Gangster. He is the recipient of the Hal Todd Award for Excellence in Acting (2010), as well as a Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Ensemble (2015). This production marks his fourth season with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival.
ALICIA STAMPS
US: CHARMIAN / OCTAVIA / LEPIDUS / MESSENGER / AGRIPPA / SOOTHSAYER / MESSENGER
Alicia is honored to make her SF Shakes return! She performed in their Shakespeare on Tour productions of Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It and The Tempest. A Founding Resident Teaching Artist with SF Shakes, Alicia received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts. You last saw her as Baneatta Mabry in AASC’s production of Chicken and Biscuits. Favorite roles include ‘Mother’ in NCTC’s production of We Are Continuous and ‘Esther Mills’ in Intimate Apparel at The Pear Avenue Theater. She thanks you for supporting live theatre and dedicates all performances to her mother Dee and Vince. Be sure to visit her at Brenda’s Meat and Three!
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
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.
KATE AL-SHAMMA
VOICE AND TEXT DIRECTOR
Kate Yust Al-Shamma, Ph.D., teaches performance skills with the aim of building confidence in all participants. Kate currently serves Georgetown University as Curriculum Advisor and Professor for Summer Sessions, and the University of San Francisco as an adjunct professor. She is a former Theatre Program Director and Associate Teaching Professor at Georgetown University. For 25 years, Kate has been a theatre director and teacher of acting, voice, movement, and professional speaking. She has a 500-hour yoga teacher certification and incorporates physical release techniques into all coaching. Her research is grounded in three major areas: the mythopoesis of Pantheatre Paris, France; the somatic release work of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts; the Neuroscience of Traumatic Stress of Bessel van der Kolk..
JANICE GARTIN
PROP DESIGNER
Janice (she/her) is a prop and costume artist who has designed and provided props for ACT’s MFA, Young Conservatory programs and 2022’s Fefu and Her Friends. She has been the prop assistant for all four seasons of Panto in the Presidio. Her costume credits include six years with Beach Blanket Babylon, projects with the Aurora Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Diablo Valley College, countless smaller theaters, as well as film work including Return of the Jedi.
JEN COOGAN
MUSIC DIRECTOR / COMPOSER / SOUND DESIGNER
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.
DALLAS THOMAS
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Dallas (he/him) the Director of Arts Education and Engagement at the African American Shakespeare Company, brings a wealth of dance training in hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater. Since arriving in the Bay Area in 2016, Dallas has thrived in both the performing arts and education fields, excelling as a teaching artist and program director. Beyond his professional role, Dallas co-owns and directs a youth dance non-profit (STUDIO 121) alongside his husband, united by their mission to extend high-quality performing arts opportunities to underprivileged communities and support aspiring artists of color in their journey to become performing art educators. Dallas’s ultimate aspiration is to create an inclusive platform that empowers diverse talents to flourish in the realm of performing arts.
LYRE ALSTON
COSTUME DESIGNER
Lyre Alston (he/him/she/her) is a costume, wig, and makeup designer working within the Bay Area. This is Lyre’s first season with SF Shakespeare, and as both a lover of Shakespeare and of creating accessible theatre, he is thrilled to get to be a part.
Some previous work in the bay includes The Addams Family and Annie (2025) at Berkeley Playhouse, Hadestown at The Throckmorton Theatre (2025), and Panto at The Presidio (2021-2025). Please enjoy the show!.
MICHAEL KELLY
AUDIO ENGINEER / LEAD SOUND TECHNICIAN
Michael Kelly (he/him) is an audio specialist, with works appearing internationally and here at home in the Bay. He headed the audio department for multiple seasons at Cal Shakes and serves as the sound supervisor now at Shotgun Players, where he designed the west coast premiere of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (SFBATCC nomination 2023). Other recent venues include Stanford, UC Berkeley, Town Hall, Cutting Ball, Playground, Ferocious Lotus, Oakland Theater Project, and Marin Theatre Company.n.
HEIDI BUTTON
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
In her former life, Heidi (she/her) toured Europe as an aerialist. She spent 9 years at SF Circus Center, & co-directed their Youth Program spring 2020. Spring 2024 semester she received her BA in theatre from SF State, while serving as Emergency Props Department Coordinator. Early 2025 she has designed props for Cuckoo Edible Magic from SF BATCO, and Fairway from Contra Costa Civic Theatre. Besides SF Shakes, 2025 contracts include Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and the Oakland Theater project. In 2023, Heidi designed for Nollywood Dreams at SF Playhouse, & In The Evening By The Moonlight for Lorraine Hansberry Theatre Company.
GABRIELLA HOWELL
DECK MANAGER
Gaby (she/any) is thrilled to return to San Francisco Shakespeare Festival as a member of The Two Gents team! She started her Bay Area theater 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 seven 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, Cymbeline, and The Tempest. Gaby has spent the past decade stage managing for beloved Bay Area institutions such as Golden Thread Productions, Stanford University, Berkeley Playhouse, 42nd Street Moon, Lamplighters, and more. She most recently stage managed ‘Art’ at Shotgun Players and the staged reading of Oriental, or 1001 Ways to Tie Yourself in Knots.
ARIANA CHAVEZ-MAGANA
ASSISTANT DECK MANAGER
Ariana (she/they) is so excited to come back to SF Shakes for the Two Gents production! She started as a stage management intern for the production Cymbeline in 2023. She recently graduated from Santa Clara University with B.A. in Theatre Arts and a B.S. in Psychology and Child Studies. When she is not working backstage on theatrical productions, Ariana is working at a transitional kindergarten and is on route to get her multiple subject teaching credential. Apart from work, Ariana is a huge Formula 1 fan, so feel free to ask her for her opinions.
RACHEL BRATT
HOSPITALITY MANAGER
Rachel (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!
JOHNNY COX
HOSPITALITY MANAGER
Hello, my name is Johnny Cox! (he/they) I’m a Gay, Guatemalan-American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, and arts administrator working throughout the Bay Area. I have joyfully served in administrative support roles at Shawl Anderson Dance Center, PUSH Dance Company, and Community Arts Stabilization Trust. Currently, I assist the free dance classes that come from Bodies of Empowerment with Kristin Damrow & Company. In addition, I am a valued member of the front of house teams for both Shotgun Players in Berkeley and ODC Theater in San Francisco. My work extends to my local community where I care for children at the After School Enrichment Program at Head Royce School in Oakland. In my free time, I enjoy taking dance and acting classes. I also practice nonviolent communication and spend time cooking with NPR!
ALEXANDRITE CAMERINO
SCENIC ASSISTANT
Alexandrite Camerino (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist residing in the Bay Area, working as a carpenter, scenic painter, and actor. He was last seen at SF Shakes playing Miranda in The Tempest ’24. In the off-season, he’s working towards his BA in Theatre Arts; otherwise, they can be found gnawing on trees in the forest- collecting lumber for the next set build- and making small furniture for their small set models and smaller fairies. @alex_camerino.
NATALIE SEPULVEDA
WARDROBE ASSISTANT
Natalie is so excited to return to the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival as a part of the costume and wardrobe team this summer! They first became involved with theater and costuming in fourth grade for a local community theater production of Beauty and the Beast and had the opportunity to work with SF Shakes for Cymbeline 2023 and The Tempest 2024. In the fall, Natalie will be starting their freshman year of college.
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.
HARPER LIND
PROPS INTERN
Harper (they/them) is a rising 11th grader at the Urban School of San Francisco, where they have most recently worked on productions of Grease: The Musical and The Princess Bride as an assistant technical director, stage manager, and props designer. Harper is very excited to work with SF Shakes this summer!.
CORA SHIMETZ
VOLUNTEER SCENIC PAINTER
Cora (any/all) has worked as Assistant Props Designer for Into the Woods and Lead Props Designer for Clue at Cal Poly Humboldt where she is entering her junior year. In 2024 she received a Certificate of Meritorious Achievement from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for her props work. Cora worked as a props intern on both Cymbeline (2023) and The Tempest (2024) and is happy to return this year to continue her work with the festival.
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.
JOHN WESTERN
MARKETING DIRECTOR
John (he/him) 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.
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:
Coming soon: Antony and Cleopatra shirts, sweaters, onesies, hats, bags, pillows, water bottles, and more!
Now available: all the layers and accessories you might need for the park, with 2025’s Two Gents graphic as well as SF Shakes logos.
Below you will find Two Gentlemen of Verona production photos, along with links to external photo albums.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona –
Cupertino
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Two Gentlemen of Verona –
Redwood City
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Two Gentlemen of Verona –
SF McLaren
Photos by Neal Ormond
The Two Gentlemen of Verona –
SF Sue Bierman
Photos by Neal Ormond
