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San Francisco
Shakespeare
Festival

Celebrating 42 years of Access, Engagement, and Education

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access

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.

engagement

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.

education

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.

what's shakin'

shakespeare on tour
February - May 2025

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
Engaging Students on the autism spectrum

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.

free shakespeare in the park
july - september 2024

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!

shakespeare camps
july - august

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.

SF Shakes
Annual Gala
Save the date: April 26, 2025

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.

Let's talk about
The Tempest

recorded panel discussion

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.

Let's talk about
The Tempest

Recorded Panel discussion

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.

Let's talk about
As You Like It

recorded Panel discussion

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.

gala and auction
april 20

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 classes for teens
Oct 21 - Dec 9

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.

support sf shakes

Your gift keeps Shakespeare accessible to all.
Donate today to make a difference.

Events

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social

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
A great cast and an intriguing production! Check out the West Coast premiere of ‘The Antipodes’, presented by The Actors Reading Collective, now through Dec 1 at Marin Shakespeare Company’s indoor space in San Rafael.
https://www.marinshakespeare.org/the-antipodes/

A great cast and an intriguing production! Check out the West Coast premiere of ‘The Antipodes’, presented by The Actors' Reading Collective, now through Dec 1 at Marin Shakespeare Company’s indoor space in San Rafael.
www.marinshakespeare.org/the-antipodes/
... See MoreSee Less

19 hours ago
Could you help us keep the ‘Shakespeare’s Heartbeat’ program beating strong? We must raise funds quickly to replace the $28,500 previously granted by the California Arts Council.
https://sfshakes.org/donate/

The foundations of ‘Shakespeare’s Heartbeat’ is the sound of a beating heart -- the rhythm of iambic pentameter in Shakespeares plays. https://sfshakes.org/education/heartbeat/

This program uses words, themes, and rhythms of Shakespeare to engage with students across the autism spectrum and is based upon the Hunter Heartbeat Method. https://www.kellyhunter.co.uk/Image attachmentImage attachment

Could you help us keep the ‘Shakespeare’s Heartbeat’ program beating strong? We must raise funds quickly to replace the $28,500 previously granted by the California Arts Council.
sfshakes.org/donate/

The foundations of ‘Shakespeare’s Heartbeat’ is the sound of a beating heart -- the rhythm of iambic pentameter in Shakespeare's plays. sfshakes.org/education/heartbeat/

This program uses words, themes, and rhythms of Shakespeare to engage with students across the autism spectrum and is based upon the Hunter Heartbeat Method. www.kellyhunter.co.uk/
... See MoreSee Less

4 days ago