California Shakespeare Theater

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) strives for everyone, regardless of age, circumstance, or background, to discover and express the relevance of Shakespeare and the classics in their lives. At its theater and in year-round programs, Cal Shakes expands access to the arts and builds diverse community ownership of its cultural vitality by fostering participatory approaches to the artistic process and arts education. Founded in 1974, the company produces four plays annually at its outdoor venue, where the mainstage productions have earned a national reputation for their immediacy and bold theatrical response to the classics. Cal Shakes' Artistic Learning program cultivates students' creative minds and voices through arts integration and core academic subjects, performances at the theater, and summer and after-school theater training. Through Cal Shakes' New Works/New Communities program, Bay Area residents participate as co-creators with Cal Shakes' artists and theater partners in the development of new works of theater inspired by classical literature. In partnership with arts and community-based organizations, the company aims to make concrete connections between the work of classic writers and marginalized communities that do not see themselves reflected in theater. Their new partnership with San Francisco-based Intersection for the Arts envisions a lasting artistic and institutional alliance around a shared vision for revitalizing theater’s role in society through new modes of theatrical storytelling. In their boundary-breaking collaboration, 3 Stations Crossing, they will create a multifaceted theatrical continuum integrating digital technology, new media, and real-time, on-the-street performances.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, California Shakespeare Theater’s Student Discovery program will create a multifaceted, contextualized experience of live theater for Bay Area students through interactive learning. For the final production for Cal Shakes' mainstage season, the company will produce The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Shana Cooper. Students from at least 40 schools will attend the student matinee performances, including students from inner-city schools serving low-income communities. This education program will include pre- and post-performance workshops; arts integration residencies that immerse students in the play; creative pre-performance activities at the theater, post-performance question-and-answer sessions with actors, an educator's day that combines a performance and development workshops for teachers; an extensive curriculum guides aligned with California state standards; and public transit vouchers.