OUR MISSION
Austin Shakespeare performs timeless stories that explore the human adventure and celebrate the power of words on stages and in schools in the heart of Texas.
OUR HISTORY & WHO WE ARE
Photo by Kimberley Mead
Austin Shakespeare began in 1984 with Free Shakespeare in Zilker Park and has been a staple in Austin theater since. Originally subsidized by the City of Austin, it quickly developed its own funding sources early on, establishing itself as one of the premier theater companies in central Texas.
In addition to Free Shakespeare in the Park, the company presents Shakespeare and other classic works along with contemporary playwrights whose work reflects classical sensibilities at the Rollins Theater of The Long Center and The Curtain Theater (one of only a dozen Elizabethan replicas in the United States).
Currently, the company produces 3 to 4 annual productions under contract with Equity as well as non-union productions throughout the season. This includes fully-produced staged readings, an annual collaboration with The Austin Chamber Music Festival, collaborations with other arts organizations and artists locally and nationally. The company promotes a policy of inclusion and diversity in all sectors of company life.
KEY MOMENTS IN Our timeline
1999: Professional artistic direction began.
2001: Our relationship with Actor’s Equity Association as an Equity house was established.
2002: The company began presenting indoor shows and non-Shakespeare repertoire.
2006: Austin philanthropist Richard Garriott de Cayeux offered his Elizabethan replica, The Curtain (a 200-seat theater on the shores of Lake Austin), as a summer home for Young Shakespeare.
2013: Austin Shakespeare was announced as a Resident Company of the Rollins Theater of The Long Center, attesting to the center’s confidence in our quality.
2013: The company produced Off-Broadway at the Baryshnikov Arts Center for a 5-week run reviewed by The New York Times, New York Post, and New Yorker.
Austin Shakespeare Beyond the stage
Austin Shakespeare’s educational outreach includes:
Programs to get students to speak the language of Shakespeare
Tours of The Curtain Theater
Performances of The World’s Fastest Hamlet, Young Shakespeare, and after-school programs.
Adult programs include a weekly reading group and Artist’s Way classes.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
As an equal opportunity employer, Austin Shakespeare does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, gender expression, age, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.