Santa Cruz Shakespeare is an independent, nationally recognized professional theater company nestled in DeLaveaga Park, in a unique outdoor space affectionately referred to as “The Grove.” Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, a Santa Cruz County arts community staple, Santa Cruz Shakespeare offers much more beyond its three summertime festival productions. Thanks to a robust local education program, the theater company raises awareness about the crucial role of performing arts in our community and helps develop the next generation of arts professionals.The Fringe Show and Internships Program
The crown jewel of Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s education programming is its internship program. Each year, over a dozen interns from all over the country spend the summer in Santa Cruz. They receive professional theater experience from Santa Cruz Shakespeare, including acting, directing, dramaturgy, stage management and production. This year’s interns come from schools such as the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as Carnegie Mellon University.
In addition to participation in the Festival productions, the culmination of their summer training is the production of Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s Fringe Show. The production features an majority intern cast and crew.
This year’s Fringe Show is Exit, Pursued by a Bear. The production is written by Lauren Gunderson, one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015, and directed by Rebecca Haley Clark, head of Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s educational programs. The interns put their skills to use in the Fringe Show, providing them the opportunity to shine outside of the company’s regular season shows.
Community members are invited to support Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s interns at this year’s Fringe Show on Aug. 16 at 7:30pm and Aug. 22 at 7:30pm. Ticket sales for The Fringe show directly benefit the education program and are available for purchase here.
I am so excited to continue to provide and expand our educational offerings through the Fringe show, and to delve into another Gunderson play and some complex themes that complement and speak back to the rest of our season.
— Rebecca Haley Clark, Director of Santa Cruz Shakespeare Education
Staged Readings
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s annual Staged Reading series, benefitting its education program, is showcasing two plays this year, read by professional actors and including discussions with the cast following the readings. This year’s featured Staged Readings include Witch by Jen Silverman (Aug. 1 at 7:00 pm) and Master Harold...and the Boys by Athol Fugard (Aug. 8 at 7:00 pm). Tickets to these Staged Readings are available here.
Weekend with Shakespeare
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s highly anticipated ‘Weekend With Shakespeare’ will take place Aug. 4 and 5 at the UCSC Arboretum in collaboration with UCSC’s Shakespeare Workshop and The Humanities Institute. This event features talks with scholars and a deep dive into two of the plays of our season: William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and King Lear. More information on the ‘Weekend with Shakespeare’ events can be found here.
Student Matinee Performances and In-School Programming
During the final week of this year’s festival season, Santa Cruz Shakespeare also will host several student matinee performances. At these performances, local students can see our professional productions at a reduced rate. Schools are welcome to invite our education team into their classroom for follow-up visits to discuss the productions or for specific Shakespeare and Social Justice workshops and residencies. Teachers can find lesson plans for this season’s productions on our website.
Tickets for all of this season’s productions can be purchased here. Box office hours are Tues. through Thurs., from 12p.m. to 4p.m. Call 831-460-6399 for more information. Learn more about our Education Programs here.
See you in The Grove!
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Don't miss the 2023 seasonSanta Cruz Shakespeare returns for its tenth anniversary as an independent theatre company and its forty-third delivering exhilarating summer theatre. Community members are invited to support Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s interns at this year’s season production.
