Overview

Shakespeare in American Communities is a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

The program is the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history. Shakespeare in American Communities brings professional theater productions of Shakespeare and related educational activities to Americans throughout the country, visiting small and mid-size communities in all 50 states. In addition to performances, activities include artistic and technical workshops, symposia about the productions, and educational programs in local schools.

Educational outreach is an integral component of the initiative. The National Endowment for the Arts has produced over 55,000 multimedia educational resource kits that are available free to educators nationwide.

Please use the links at the top right to view more detailed information about each phase of the initiative, including full lists of the past participating theater partners, as well as interesting statistics from each year.

Shakespeare in American Communities
This publication provides information on the Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, including a brief overview of the program, a list of all current theater companies participating in the program (as well as a map of the companies), all the cities served, and a few examples of successful productions. July 2007. 28 pp. [1.15MB PDF]

Cumulative Statistics (April 2008)

Students Served: More than 1 million

Performances: More than 4,000

Schools: More than 3,200

Communities: Approximately 2,000

Program History

Overview

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

A detailed map of Participating Theater Companies through May 2007. Click to enlarge.