Shakespeare Theatre

THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY CREATES, PRESERVES, AND PROMOTES CLASSIC THEATREAMBITIOUS, ENDURING PLAYS WITH UNIVERSAL THEMESFOR ALL AUDIENCES. THROUGH THE CREATION OF PROVOCATIVE, IMAGINATIVE, AND ACCESSIBLE THEATRE, STC IGNITES A DIALOGUE THAT CONNECTS ENDURING PLAYS WITH UNIVERSAL THEMESFOR ALL AUDIENCES. THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY OPERATES THE HARMAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS (COMPRISED OF THE 451-SEAT LANSBURGH THEATRE AND THE 774-SEAT SIDNEY HARMAN HALL) AND TYPICALLY OFFERS SIX MAINSTAGE PLAYS EACH SEASON, ALONG WITH A VARIETY OF ARTS EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES, ANNUALLY SERVING APPROXIMATELY 150,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND PARTICIPANTS.

PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS AT THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY (STC), A CLASSICAL PLAY IS DEFINED NOT ONLY BY THE CALIBER OF ITS LANGUAGE, BUT BY THE TIMELESSNESS OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCES AND DILEMMAS IT ADDRESSES AND THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IT POSES. THEMES OF FAMILY, LOVE, POWER, CORRUPTION, LEADERSHIP AND MORE ARE RELEVANT TO PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, AND MANY ARE ESPECIALLY TIMELY IN LIGHT OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1985, THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY HAS STAGED MORE THAN 150 PRODUCTIONS, INCLUDING EVERY PLAY IN SHAKESPEARE'S RECOGNIZED CANON, FOR OVER 2.5 MILLION AUDIENCE MEMBERS. STC TYPICALLY PROGRAMS SIX CLASSIC PLAYS EACH SEASON INCLUDING TWO SHAKESPEARE PLAYS AND WORKS BY ESTABLISHED PLAYWRIGHTS, WORKS BY CONTEMPORARY PLAYWRIGHTS DESTINED TO BECOME CLASSICS, NEW COMMISSIONS, MUSICALS, AND INTERNATIONAL PRESENTATIONS.SHAKESPEARE IS OUR MUSE, AND IN ADDITION TO PRODUCING HIS MORE WELL-KNOWN WORKS, THE STC'S AUDIENCES HAVE ENJOYED RARELY PERFORMED PLAYS INCLUDING "CORIOLANUS," "THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA," "HENRY IV PART 2," "TITUS ANDRONICUS," "CYMBELINE, AND MOST RECENTLY, "TIMON OF ATHENS" (2020). STC'S FRESH TAKES ON WELL-KNOWN PLAYS SOLIDIFIED STC'S REPUTATION AS "ONE OF THE WORLD'S THREE GREAT SHAKESPEAREAN THEATRES" (THE ECONOMIST) PRODUCING "A REPERTORY OF CLASSICS THAT NO NEW YORK THEATRE OF SIMILAR SIZE AND SCALE CAN MATCH" (THE NEW YORK TIMES). STC HAS ATTRACTED OTHER MAJOR RECOGNITION INCLUDING THE 2012 REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD AND 100+ HELEN HAYES AWARDS.THE THEATRE HAS COMMISSIONED NUMEROUS ADAPTATIONS OF CLASSIC PLAYS, MOST RECENTLY AESCHYLUS'S "THE ORESTEIA" IN 2019, ADAPTED BY ELLEN MCLAUGHLIN AND "PETER PAN AND WENDY," AN ADAPTATION OF J.M. BARRY'S EARLY 20TH C. NOVEL BY AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHT LAUREN GUNDERSON. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SIMON GODWIN IS EXPANDING INTO AMERICAN CLASSICS, PRODUCING JAMES BALDWIN'S "THE AMEN CORNER" IN 2020, THE FIRST TIME THIS PLAY HAS BEEN PRODUCED IN DC SINCE ITS 1955 PREMIERE AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND THORNTON WILDER'S PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PLAY, OUR TOWN, WHICH WILL BE PRODUCED IN 2022. EQUITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVITY ARE CORE TO STC'S MISSION, AND UNDER GODWIN'S LEADERSHIP, STC HAS INITIATED "THE SHIFT," A MULTI-YEAR PLAN TO INCREASE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSIVITY AT EVERY LEVEL OF THE ORGANIZATION, FROM THE ACTORS AND WORKS ONSTAGE, TO STAFF AND BOARD, TO EXTERNAL PARTNERS. THE DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND ENRICHMENT, A NEW SENIOR STAFF POSITION CREATED IN 2020, MANAGES INTERNAL EQUITY ISSUES AND WORKS WITH THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES TO RECRUIT DIVERSE CANDIDATES AND CULTIVATE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS WITH DIVERSE AND MINORITY-LED ORGANIZATIONS. TO MAKE THE THEATRE MORE ACCESSIBLE, STC OFFERS FREE OR DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO STUDENTS, VETERANS, SENIORS, PROFESSIONALS UNDER 35, AND OTHER GROUPS THAT COULD NOT ATTEND OTHERWISE. STC'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC AND INCLUDE DISCUSSIONS CURATED BY STC'S EDUCATION AND ARTISTIC STAFF, PODCASTS FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH ARTISTS AND DIRECTORS PARTICIPATING IN PRODUCTIONS, PERFORMANCES BY LOCAL ARTISTS AND ART ORGANIZATIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND MORE.

"EDUCATION PROGRAMSPRE-PANDEMIC, STC'S ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REACHED APPROXIMATELY 18,000 CHILDREN AND ADULT ANNUALLY WITH ARTS EDUCATION EXPERIENCES LED BY PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ARTISTS. STC MAINTAINS LONGTIME PARTNERSHIPS WITH ALL DC PUBLIC AND PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS SCHOOLS IN MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. WORKING WITH LOCAL TEACHERS, STC INTEGRATES COMMON CORE-ALIGNED THEATRE ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMMING INTO INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOMS. ITS TIERED PROGRAM, SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS, SUPPORTS TEACHERS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT BASED ON THEIR NEEDS AND CAPACITY. THROUGH SHAKESPEARE IN SCHOOLS, PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ARTISTS BRING THE STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE ALIVE THROUGH PERFORMANCE-BASED ACTIVITIES. IN TIER 1, STUDENT MATINEES ENGAGE STUDENTS DIRECTLY WITH THE MAGIC OF LIVE THEATRE. STUDENTS ATTEND A FULL PRODUCTION WITH ADVANCE PREPARATION BY TEACHING ARTISTS, AND THEY ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH THE CAST DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THE SHOW IN LIVELY TALKBACKS. TIER 2, ARTISTS-IN-THE-CLASSROOM, PROVIDES VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS, DEEPENING STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF SHAKESPEARE'S LANGUAGE AND MAKING HIS THEMES RELATABLE TO THEIR LIVES. TIER 3, TEXT ALIVE!, PROVIDES THE MOST IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCE. A TEACHING ARTIST WORKS WITH A TEACHER AND THEIR CLASS THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE SEMESTER, STUDYING A SHAKESPEARE PLAY, ATTENDING A MATINEE PERFORMANCE, AND WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS TO DESIGN AND PERFORM AN ENTIRE SCENE AT ONE OF OUR THEATRES. STUDENTS CHOOSE A CONCEPT, COSTUMES, MUSIC, AND SETS; EACH STUDENT IS ASSIGNED A ROLE, AND THE SEMESTER CULMINATES WITH THE STUDENTS PERFORMING THEIR SCENE FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ALONGSIDE ALL THE OTHER PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS. OTHER PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH INCLUDE CAMP SHAKESPEARE (AGES 7 18) AND TEEN CLASSES, WHICH FOSTER CREATIVITY AND ENCOURAGE BUDDING SHAKESPEAREAN PERFORMERS. STC OFFERS ADULTS NUMEROUS FREE PROGRAMS INCLUDING DISCUSSIONS, PODCASTS, "ASIDES," STC'S DRAMATURGICAL MAGAZINE PRODUCED FOR EACH PLAY, A COMPREHENSIVE "GUIDE TO THE SEASON'S PLAYS," ALONG WITH NUMEROUS ACTING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CLASSES FOR BUSINESSPEOPLE, TEACHERS, VETERANS AND BOTH AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL ACTORS. STC'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS HELP THE THEATRE CONNECT WITH DC RESIDENTS AND ARTISTS. STC HAS DEVELOPED PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS HOWARD UNIVERSITY AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE ON ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC PROGRAMMING THAT COMPLEMENTS ONE OF ITS PLAYS LIKE 2020'S "AMEN BALDWIN: A LIVING CELEBRATION," WHICH OFFERED A FILM SERIES, PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITIONS, LECTURES, AND MORE. STC PARTICIPATES IN REGIONAL FESTIVALS, PROVIDING DEMONSTRATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND OFFERS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS.IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY OFFERS A MASTER OF FINE ARTS DEGREE TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACTORS. THE ACADEMY FOR CLASSICAL ACTING (ACA) IS FULLY ACCREDITED AND HIGHLY COMPETITIVE. NOW ENTERING ITS 22ND YEAR, THE ACA TYPICALLY ACCEPTS ONLY 18-20 APPLICANTS PER YEAR TO ENSURE RIGOROUS, INTENSIVE TRAINING. STUDENTS OFTEN SERVE AS UNDERSTUDIES IN MAJOR STC PRODUCTIONS, AND ALUMNI PERFORM IN PROFESSIONAL THEATRE COMPANIES AROUND THE COUNTRY."