Sacramento Shakespeare Festival
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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."
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
. In 2009, the festival produced a relatively new adaptation of the classic tale "Robin Hood."
s of some of Shakespeare's lesser produced plays was begun. Over the years, the series has provided access to "Titus Andronicus", "Cymbeline", "Troilus and Cressida", "Antony and Cleopatra", "Pericles" and "Henry VIII." Upcoming for the series may include a reading of the "Klingon Hamlet" and "Richard III."
July 2 - Aug. 1, 2010 - William Land Park, William A Carroll Amphitheatre
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" directed by David Harris
"Othello" directed by Luther Hanson
Shakespeare Lite: "Macbeth" & "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" directed by Christine Nicholson
Shakespeare High School Intern Program: "A Quick Romeo & Juliet" adapted and directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin
"Robin Hood" directed by Christine Nicholson
Shakespeare Lite: "Love's Labour's Lost" directed by Luther Hanson
Shakespeare High School Intern Program: "15 Minute Hamlet" by Tom Stoppard, directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin
"The Tempest" directed by David Harris
Shakespeare Lite: "Much Ado About Nothing" & "Robin Hood" directed by Luther Hanson
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare in contemporary Kabuki style, directed by Kim McCann in her last production prior to retirement from the director's 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
Shakespeare Lite: The Three Musketeers
& A Midsummer Night's Dream
City Theatre
City Theatre is the performing arts program at Sacramento City College, part of the Los Rios Community College District, in Sacramento, California...
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.
Classics Back to Back
City TheatreCity Theatre
City Theatre is the performing arts program at Sacramento City College, part of the Los Rios Community College District, in Sacramento, California...
first produced plays by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in the William Carroll Amphitheatre in William Land Park in the late '60s and early '70s. These productions included Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, Twelfth Night, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, and The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
. 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
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, Wycherly, and Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
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
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, Parks and Rec, and others commenced.
Shakespeare in the Park
An inaugural season of Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
and The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
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."
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 BergeracCyrano de Bergerac (play)
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
in 1997 (the play's 100 year anniversary), The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
and The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
. The director worked closely with Musketeers playwrights Douglas Langworthy and Linda Alper from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States. The festival annually produces eleven plays on three stages during a season that lasts from February to October...
. In 2009, the festival produced a relatively new adaptation of the classic tale "Robin Hood."
Shakespeare Lite
The Shakespeare Lite outreach program takes shortened versions of classic plays to outlying areas that might not otherwise experience our Festival.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.Staged Reading Series
In 2007, a series of staged readingStaged reading
A staged reading is a form of theatre without sets or full costumes. The actors, who read from scripts, may be seated, stand in fixed positions, or incorporate minimal stage movement....
s of some of Shakespeare's lesser produced plays was begun. Over the years, the series has provided access to "Titus Andronicus", "Cymbeline", "Troilus and Cressida", "Antony and Cleopatra", "Pericles" and "Henry VIII." Upcoming for the series may include a reading of the "Klingon Hamlet" and "Richard III."
2010 season
25th Anniversary SeasonJuly 2 - Aug. 1, 2010 - William Land Park, William A Carroll Amphitheatre
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" directed by David Harris
"Othello" directed by Luther Hanson
Shakespeare Lite: "Macbeth" & "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" directed by Christine Nicholson
Shakespeare High School Intern Program: "A Quick Romeo & Juliet" adapted and directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin
2009 season
"Much Ado About Nothing" directed by David Harris"Robin Hood" directed by Christine Nicholson
Shakespeare Lite: "Love's Labour's Lost" directed by Luther Hanson
Shakespeare High School Intern Program: "15 Minute Hamlet" by Tom Stoppard, directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin
2008 season
"Twelfth Night" directed by Christine Nicholson"The Tempest" directed by David Harris
Shakespeare Lite: "Much Ado About Nothing" & "Robin Hood" directed by Luther Hanson
2007 season
June 29 - August 5, 2007 William Land Park, William A Carroll AmphitheatreMacbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
by William Shakespeare in contemporary Kabuki style, directed by Kim McCann in her last production prior to retirement from the director's chair
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
, 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
Le Médecin malgré lui
Le Médecin malgré lui is a comedy by Molière.-Characters:*Sganarelle, a woodcutter*Martine, Sganarelle's wife*Géronte, a wealthy bourgeois*Lucinde, Géronte's daughter...
by Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
and Pericles
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
by William Shakespeare, adapted by Christine Nicholson
2006 season
Romeo & Juliet, The Two Gentlemen of VeronaThe Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more...
Shakespeare Lite: The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
& A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...