Sacramento Shakespeare Festival

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The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival is produced by City Theatre at Sacramento City College and strives to provide quality Shakespeare performances and training to the Sacramento community, utilizing the resources, teachers, and students of the Sacramento City College Theatre Arts Department, and the both amateur and professional artists from the Sacramento area. SSF produces full-length plays in William Land Park, shorter versions of Shakespeare¹s plays in various locations throughout the Sacramento area, travelling scenes and workshops to classes, community centers, and an on-site High School Internship program.

1 A brief history of the Festival
2 Shakespeare Lite
3 High School Intern Program
4 2007 Season
5 2006 season
6 External links

[edit] A brief history of the Festival

[edit] Classics Back to Back

City Theatre first produced plays by William Shakespeare in the William Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park in the late '60s and early '70s. These productions included Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The social climate of the times and its inherent problems forced a return to SCC's Art Court Theatre. There, the college continued to produce classic plays during the summer months. The “Classics Back to Back” program was active from 1980 to 1985 and included works by Molière, Wycherly, and Sheridan along with the plays of William Shakespeare. In 1985, Larry Hendrick, then Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, and Theatre Professors J.D. Sutherland and Donna J. Sparks began exploring the possibilities of returning to the amphitheatre in William Land Park. They were joined by associate Professor Kim McCann and a long year of meetings with the College, the City of Sacramento, Parks and Rec, and others commenced.

[edit] Shakespeare in the Park

An inaugural season of Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew was set. Robert Musser was hired as the scenic and lighting designer, and technical director and Margaret Wooten-Dennett was hired to design the costumes. The directors cast a company of approximately 26 actors who appeared in both shows, in true repertory fashion. The venture was called “Shakespeare in the Park."

[edit] Sacramento Shakespeare Festival

The Festival has continued to evolve and grow since that first summer, seeking to provide a pleasant overall experience for both the audience and the company of technicians, designers, actors, and directors. The Festival's name was changed to “Sacramento Shakespeare Festival” in the late 90s in order to better reflect the area in which they work and the community served. Since its inception in 1986, the “play list” has expanded to include the works of other authors that have the scope of the Shakespearean canon. This led to productions of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1997 (the play's 100 year anniversary), The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The director worked closely with Musketeers playwrights Douglas Langworthy and Linda Alper from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

[edit] Shakespeare Lite

The Shakespeare Lite outreach program takes shortened versions of classic plays to outlying areas that might not otherwise experience our Festival.

[edit] High School Intern Program

The High School Intern Program enables high school students to work alongside the Festival's staff in all aspects of production, from scene shop to performance. The Festival staff teach master classes in their particular areas of expertise, allowing the students to receive further training in all of the disciplines involved in the art of Theatre.

[edit] 2007 Season

June 29 - August 5, 2007 William Land Park, William A Carroll Amphitheatre Macbeth by William Shakespeare in contemporary Kabuki style, directed by Kim McCann in her last production prior to retirement from the directors chair The Comedy of Errors, by William Shakespeare a la Moulin Rouge, directed by Luther Hanson Shakespeare Lite, touring 45 minutes versions to local Sacramento venues, directed by Christine Nicholson, featuring The Doctor in Spite of Himself by Molière and Pericles by William Shakespeare, adapted by Christine Nicholson