Shakespeare festival
A Shakespeare festival is a theatre organization that stages the works of William Shakespeare continually.
Origins
In 1830, the Mulberry Club (a scholarly group formed in Stratford-upon-Avon, named after the destroyed New Place mulberry tree) began organising annual festivities on Shakespeare's birthday, which they referred to as the "Shakespeare Festival". These continued until at least 1836.[1] From 1886 to 1919, Frank Benson directed 28 spring and six summer "Shakespeare festivals" at the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford.[2]
In 1935 the
Other early Shakespeare festivals in North America staged on replicas of the Globe Theatre include the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego (1937)[4] and the Hofstra Shakespeare Festival,[5] launched at Hofstra University in 1950. The American Shakespeare Theatre operated on a festival stage in Stratford, Connecticut, United States from 1955 to the 1980s.
Festivals
Canada
- Bard on the Beach — Vancouver, British Columbia
- Freewill Shakespeare Festival — Edmonton, Alberta
- Repercussion Theatre — Montreal, Quebec
- Shakespeare by the Sea — Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Shakespeare by the Sea — St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Shakespeare in the Ruff — Toronto, Ontario
- Shakespeare in the Ruins — Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Stratford Shakespeare Festival — Stratford, Ontario
Europe
- Bremer Shakespeare Company — Bremen, Germany
- Craiova International Shakespeare Festival — Craiova, Romania
- Dublin Shakespeare Society — Dublin, Ireland
- Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival — Gdańsk, Poland
- Prague Shakespeare Festival — Prague, Czech Republic
United Kingdom
- Bard in the Botanics — Glasgow, Scotland
- Cheek by Jowl — London, England
- Creation Theatre Company — Oxford, England
- Dolphin's Back — London, England
- Druid Shakespeare — Galway, Ireland
- Edward's Boys — Stratford-upon-Avon, England
- National Theatre — London, England
- Original Shakespeare Company — London, England
- Oxford Shakespeare Festival — Oxford, England
- Rose Playhouse Bankside — London, England
- Rose Theatre Kingston — Kingston upon Thames, England
- Royal Exchange — Manchester, England
- Royal Shakespeare Company — London, England
- shakespeare.scot — Dundee, Scotland
- Shakespeare's Globe — Stratford-upon-Avon, England
- Sirrah Sisters — London, England
- Smooth Faced Gentlemen — London, England
- York Shakespeare Project — York, England
United States
- Actors' Shakespeare Project — Boston, Massachusetts
- African-American Shakespeare Company — San Francisco, California
- Alabama Shakespeare Festival — Montgomery, Alabama
- American Players Theatre — Spring Green, Wisconsin
- American Shakespeare Center — Staunton, Virginia
- Annapolis Shakespeare Company — Annapolis, Maryland
- Antioch Shakespeare Festival — Yellow Springs, Ohio
- Archive Theatre — Austin, Texas
- Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre — Conway, Arkansas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Austin Shakespeare — Austin, Texas
- Bag & Baggage Productions — Hillsboro, Oregon
- Baltimore Shakespeare Factory — Baltimore, Maryland
- Band of Brothers Shakespeare Company — Johnstown, Pennsylvania
- Barefoot Shakespeare Company — New York City, New York
- Bath Shakespeare Festival — Bath, Maine
- Bay Colony Shakespeare Company — Marshfield, Massachusetts
- Brave Spirits Theatre — McLean, Virginia
- California Shakespeare Theater — Orinda, California
- Camden Shakespeare Festival — Camden, Maine
- Chesapeake Shakespeare Company — Baltimore, Maryland
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Classical Actors Ensemble — Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Colonial Theater Shakespeare Festival — Westerly, Rhode Island
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival — Boulder, Colorado
- Connecticut Free Shakespeare — Norwalk, Connecticut
- Commonwealth Shakespeare Company — Boston, Massachusetts
- Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park — Coos Bay, Oregon
- Cromulent Shakespeare Company — Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Delaware Shakespeare — Wilmington, Delaware
- Door Shakespeare — Sister Bay, Wisconsin
- Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre — Fairbanks, Alaska
- Fern Shakespeare Company — Atlanta, Georgia
- First Folio Shakespeare Festival — Oak Brook, Illinois
- Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival — Flagstaff, Arizona
- Flatwater Shakespeare Company — Lincoln, Nebraska
- Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival — St. Marys, Kansas
- Florida Shakespeare Theatre — Miami, Florida
- Folger Shakespeare Theatre — Washington, D.C.
- Foothills Theatre Company — Littleton, Colorado
- Garfield Shakespeare Company — Indianapolis, Indiana
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival — Allendale, Michigan
- Great River Shakespeare Festival — Winona, Minnesota
- GreenStage — Seattle, Washington
- Hampshire Shakespeare Company — Amherst, Massachusetts
- Hamptons Shakespeare Festival — Long Island, New York
- Harlem Shakespeare Festival — Harlem, New York
- Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival — Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
- Hawai'i Shakespeare Festival — Honolulu, Hawai'i
- Heart of America Shakespeare Festival — Kansas City, Missouri
- Hip to Hip Theatre Company — New York City, New York
- Hofstra Shakespeare Festival — Hempstead, New York
- Hoosier Shakespeare Festival — Marion, Indiana
- Houston Shakespeare Festival — Houston, Texas
- Hudson Shakespeare Company — Stratford, Connecticut
- Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival — Garrison, New York
- Hudson Warehouse — New York City, New York
- Idaho Shakespeare Festival — Boise, Idaho
- Illinois Shakespeare Festival — Bloomington, Illinois
- Iowa Shakespeare Experience — Des Moines, Iowa
- Kentucky Shakespeare Festival — Louisville, Kentucky
- Lantern Theatre Company — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival — Lake Tahoe, California
- Lakeside Shakespeare — Benzie County, Michigan
- Lord Denney's Players — Columbus, Ohio
- Madison Shakespeare Company — Waunakee, Wisconsin
- Marin Shakespeare Company — San Rafael, California
- Michigan Shakespeare Festival — Jackson, Michigan
- Missouri Shakespeare Festival — Joplin, Missouri
- Montana Shakespeare in the Parks — Bozeman, Montana
- Montford Park Players — Asheville, North Carolina
- Muse of Fire Theatre Company — Evanston, Illinois
- Nashville Shakespeare Festival — Jackson, Michigan
- Nebraska Shakespeare Festival — Omaha, Nebraska
- New Orleans Shakespeare Festival — New Orleans, Louisiana
- New Swan Shakespeare Festival — Irvine, California
- New York Shakespeare Festival — New York City, New York
- North Carolina Shakespeare Festival — Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- North Dakota Shakespeare Festival — Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival — South Bend, Indiana
- Ohio Shakespeare Theatre — Akron, Ohio
- Old Globe Theatre — San Diego, California
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival — Ashland, Oregon
- Original Practice Shakespeare Festival — Portland, Oregon
- Orlando Shakes — Orlando, California
- Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival — Center Valley, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company — Grand Haven, Michigan
- Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Park — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Portland Actors Ensemble — Portland, Oregon
- Red Bull Theatre — New York City, New York
- Resurgens Theatre Company — Atlanta, Georgia
- Richmond Shakespeare Festival — Richmond, Virginia
- Riverside Shakespeare Company — New York City, New York
- Robinson Shakespeare Company — South Bend, Indiana
- Rochester Community Players — Rochester, New York
- Rome Shakespeare Festival — Rome, Georgia
- San Francisco Shakespeare Festival — San Francisco, California
- Saint Louis Shakespeare Festival — St. Louis, Missouri
- Santa Clarita Shakespeare — Santa Clarita, California
- Santa Cruz Shakespeare — Santa Cruz, California
- Seattle Shakespeare Festival — Seattle, Washington
- Seven Stages Shakespeare Company — Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Shakespeare & Company (Minnesota) — White Bear Lake, Minnesota
- Shakespeare & Company (Massachusetts) — Lenox, Massachusetts
- Shakespeare by the Sea — San Pedro, California
- Shakespeare Carolina — Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Shakespeare Festival of Dallas — Dallas, Texas
- Shakespeare in Delaware Park — Buffalo, New York
- Shakespeare in Detroit — Detroit, Michigan
- Shakespeare in Yosemite — Merced, California
- Shakespeare Now! Theatre Company — Brookline, Massachusetts
- Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey — Madison, New Jersey
- Shakespeare Theatre Company — Washington, D.C.
- Silicon Valley Shakespeare — Washington, D.C.
- South Carolina Shakespeare Company — Columbia, South Carolina
- South Dakota Shakespeare Festival — Vermillion, South Dakota
- Southern Shakespeare Festival — Tallahassee, Florida
- Southwest Shakespeare Company — Mesa, Arizona
- Sweet Tea Shakespeare — Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Syracuse Shakespeare in the Park — Syracuse, New York
- Taffety Punk Theatre Company — Washington, D.C.
- Tennessee Shakespeare Company — Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Texas Shakespeare Festival — Kilgore, Texas
- Theatre at Monmouth — Monmouth, Maine
- Theatre for a New Audience — New York City, New York
- Troupe of Friends — Westfield, New Jersey
- Upstate Shakespeare Festival — Greenville, South Carolina
- Utah Shakespeare Festival — Cedar City, Utah
- Vermont Shakespeare Festival — Greensboro, Vermont
- Virginia Shakespeare Festival — Williamsburg, Virginia
- Washington Shakespeare Festival — Mount Vernon, Washington
- West Virginia Shakespeare Festival — Huntington, West Virginia
- What You Will Shakespeare Company — Urbana, Illinois
- Wichita Shakespeare Company — Wichita, Kansas
- Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum — Topanga, California
- Wyoming Shakespeare Festival Company — Lander, Wyoming
- Young Shakespeare Players — Madison, Wisconsin
Staged reading series
- Alabama Shakespeare Project — Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Appalachian Shakespeare Project — Athens, West Virginia
- Back Room Shakespeare Project — Chicago, Illinois
- Black Shakespeare Project — Brooklyn, New York
- Manhattan Shakespeare Project — Manhattan, New York
- Play On! Shakespeare Project — Portland, Oregon
- Portland Shakespeare Project — Portland, Oregon
- Shakespeare Project of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois
- The Shakespeare Project — New York City, New York
Fictional
- New Burbage Shakespeare Festival — New Burbage, Canada (Slings & Arrows)
See also
- Shakespeare Theatre Association
- Shakespeare in the Park festivals
- European Shakespeare Festivals Network (ESFN)
- List of festivals in Glasgow
- List of festivals in the United States
- Repertory theatre
- Shakespeare Club of Stratford-upon-Avon
References
- ^ "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
- ^ "Shakespeare For All Time", by Stanley Wells, 2002; pg. 321
- ^ Oregon Shakespearean Association Fourteenth Season program, 1954, pg 3-4
- ^ "History". The Old Globe. 1937-12-02. Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "The Hofstra Shakespeare Festival - Drama and Dance - Hofstra University". Hofstra.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Cleveland Centennial: Antioch Shakespeare Festival". Clevelandcentennial.blogspot.com. 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Yellow Springs News Online". Ysnews.com. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Public Theater". Public Theater. Retrieved 2012-02-16.