Santa Cruz Shakespeare is an annual professional

theatre festival Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. Classical Greek theatre was associated with religious festivals dedicated to Dionysus, called the City Dionysia. The medieval mystery plays were presented at the major Christian feast ...

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

, founded in 2014. Its predecessor, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, lost the financial support of its host and sponsor, the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

in 2013. Members of the original company and board immediately began fundraising and raised enough money to relaunch the festival as an independent entity.

History

* 1981-2008: Shakespeare Santa Cruz was founded by Audrey Stanley in 1981 and performed annually on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Plays by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

(and others) were performed both indoors on the UCSC Theater Arts Mainstage and outdoors in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen. Usually, the company's season ran from July to early September and presented three or four plays that ran concurrently in

repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

. Over time, the company ran up deficits, which were paid by the University of California. * 2008: With California's budget crisis having resulted in reduced funding, the university could no longer afford to cover the accrued debts. An agreement was reached that if the theater could raise $300,000, it could continue operation. Within 10 days of the agreement's announcement, over $400,000 was raised. * 2013: Claiming continuing financial problems, the UCSC Arts Division dean announced that Shakespeare Santa Cruz would end after that year's winter holiday production. * 2013: Following this announcement, members of the theater company began a campaign to raise money to become an independent company. In December 2013, a new entity known as Shakespeare Play On was formed for this purpose, co-headed by Shakespeare Santa Cruz artistic director Marco Baricelli and actor/director Mike Ryan. An online platform for accepting donations was established with the

Network for Good Network for Good is an American-certified B Corporation (certification), B Corporation software company that offers fundraising software and coaching for charities and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 2001 by America Online ( ...

. By February 2014, they raised over $1 million (USD) through

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

to continue on without the financial support of the university. In March 2014, the new company changed its name to Santa Cruz Shakespeare. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' referred to the company's rebirth as an "underdog success story." * 2014: For its inaugural season under its new arrangement, Santa Cruz Shakespeare presented ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'', ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'', and ''

The Beard of Avon ''The Beard of Avon'' is a play by Amy Freed, originally commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory in 2001. It is a farcical treatment of the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, in which both Shakespeare and his wife become involv ...

'' in July and August 2014. All three shows were performed in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen on UCSC's campus. * 2015: For the 2015 season Mike Ryan took over sole artistic director duties and the company announced productions of ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', and

David Ives David Ives (born July 11, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is perhaps best known for his comic one-act plays; ''The New York Times'' in 1997 referred to him as the "maestro of the short form". Ives has also written ...

's adaptation of

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronage ...

's '' The Liar''. * 2016: For the 2016 season the company moved to a new purpose-built home in the Audrey Stanley Grove at Upper DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz. * 2022: Mike Ryan announced his plan to step down as artistic director after the 2023 season. Charles Pasternak was selected as his successor. * 2023: Mirroring the company's first year where Mike Ryan and Marco Baricelli shared the artistic director title, Mike Ryan and Charles Pasternak were Co-Artistic Directors for the 2023 season. * 2024: Charles Pasternak lead his first season as sole Artistic Director

Season history

* 2014 **

(intern production) * 2015 **

** The Liar ** The Rover (intern production) * 2016 (Inaugural season in the Audrey Stanley Grove at Upper DeLaveaga Park) **

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

(intern production) * 2017 **

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first ten ...

** The 39 Steps **

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

(intern production) *2018 **Summer Season ***

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

***

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

***

Venus in Fur ''Venus in Fur'' is a two-person play by David Ives set in modern New York City. The play had its premiere off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in 2010 and on Broadway in 2011. Productions ''Venus in Fur'' opened off-Broadway at the Clas ...

**Fringe Series *** Men I'm Not Married To (intern production) ***A Doll's House (staged reading) ***The Taming (staged reading) *2019 **Summer Season ***

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

***

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early 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 Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

**Fringe Series ***

The Two Noble Kinsmen ''The Two Noble Kinsmen'' is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed jointly to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbury Tales'' (1387–140 ...

(intern production) *** The Formula by Kathryn Chetkovich (staged reading) *** The Last White Man (staged reading) *2020 ** Henry VI Part I (Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading via Zoom) ** Henry VI Part II (Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading via Zoom) ** Henry VI Part III (Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading via Zoom) **

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

(Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading via Zoom) **The originally planned Season was Postponed to 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Instead, SCS produced 4 plays as online staged readings with each play broken into multiple performances over a series of weeks. *2021 ** The ongoing

once again impacted the season, leading to the further postponement of the plays originally planned for 2020. ** Undiscovered Shakespeare (collaboration with UCSC Humanities) ***

Troilus and Cressida ''The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida'', often shortened to ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ), is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forc ...

(online reading via Zoom) **Summer Season *** The Agitators ***RII an adaptation of

Richard II (play) ''The Life and Death of King Richard the Second'' (1595), also ''Richard II'', is a Shakespearean history play about the lifetime and reign of King Richard II of England (r. 1377–1399). As a dramatised period history of the English monarchy ...

**Fringe Series ***Far Away From Here by M.L Roberts (staged reading) ***Wuthering Heights by Kirsten Brandt (staged reading) *2022 ** Undiscovered Shakespeare (collaboration with UCSC Humanities) *** King John (online reading via Zoom) **Summer Season ***

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

***

The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...

*** The Formulaby Kathryn Chetkovich(World Premiere) **Fringe Series ***Just Deserts by Carol Lashoff (intern production) ***Nasty Brutish and Short by Ian McRae (staged reading) ***Simply The Thing She is by Kate Hawley (staged reading) *2023 **Summer Season ***

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

***

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

*** The Book of Will ** Fringe Series *** Exit, Pursued by a Bear (intern production) ***Witch by Jen Silverman (staged reading) *** Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard (staged reading) *2024 ** Undiscovered Shakespeare (collaboration with UCSC Humanities) ***

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

(online reading via Zoom) **Summer Season (July–August) ***

***

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

**Fringe Series (Tuesdays in August) ***Proof by David Auburn (intern production) ***Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang (staged reading) ***A Room in the Castle by Lauren Gunderson (staged reading) **Fall Season ***

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...

(inaugural Fall season, playing in September following the summer season) **Holiday Season (Nov-Dec 2024) ***

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens *2025 ** Undiscovered Shakespeare (collaboration with UCSC Humanities) ***

Timon of Athens ''The Life of Tymon of Athens'', often shortened to ''Timon of Athens'', is a play written by William Shakespeare and likely also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623. Timon of Athens (person), Timon ...

(online reading via Zoom) **Summer Season (July–August) ***

***

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

***

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

**Fringe Series (Tuesdays in August) ***Betrayal (apprentice show) ***First Gravedigger (staged reading) ***Mary's Wedding (staged reading) **Fall Season *** Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard **Holiday Season (Nov-Dec 2025) ***

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens

The Canon in Santa Cruz

Between Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz Shakespeare all of Shakespeare's canon have been presented. Thirty have had main stage productions, one as a fringe production and seven as online staged readings. Shakespeare plays performed in Santa Cruz by first production * The Taming of the Shrew (1981, 1992, 2004, 2013, 2023) * A Midsummer Night's Dream (1982, 1991, 2001, 2009, 2016, 2025) * Macbeth (1983, 1992, 2001, 2015) * The Merry Wives of Windsor (1983, 1994, 2002, 2014) * The Tempest (1984, 1995, 2007, 2022) * Henry IV, Part 1 (1984, 2011) * As You Like It (1985,1997, 2006, 2014, 2024) * Hamlet (1985, 2003, 2016, 2024) * Richard II (1986, 2021*adaptation*) * Twelfth Night (1986, 1996, 2005, 2012, 2022) * Henry V (1987, 2013) * Much Ado About Nothing (1987, 1998, 2007, 2015) * Antony and Cleopatra (1988) * The Comedy of Errors (1988, 1993, 2003, 2011, 2019) * Titus Andronicus (1988) * Love's Labour's Lost (1989, 2000, 2010, 2018) * Romeo and Juliet (1989, 1999, 2008, 2018) * Julius Caesar (1988, 2009) * Othello (1990, 1998, 2010) * The Winter's Tale (1990, 2005, 2019) * Measure for Measure (1991, 2017) * All's Well That Ends Well (1993, 2008) * The Merchant of Venice (1994) * King Lear (1995, 2006, 2023) * Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1996, 2025) * Richard III (1997, 2020 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1999, 2017) * Cymbeline (2000) * Coriolanus (2002) * Henry IV, Part 2 (2012) * The Two Noble Kinsmen (2019 *Fringe production) * Henry VI, Part 1 (2020 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * Henry VI, Part 2 (2020 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * Henry VI, Part 3 (2020 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * Troilus and Cressida (2021 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * King John (2022 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * Henry VIII (2024 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading) * Timon of Athens (2025 *Undiscovered Shakespeare online reading)

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{official website, http://santacruzshakespeare.org//
DeLaveaga Park
at the City of Santa Cruz website Shakespeare festivals in the United States Tourist attractions in Santa Cruz County, California 2014 establishments in California Theatre company production histories