Sacramento Shakespeare Festival

The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival is a renowned cultural event produced by City Theatre at Sacramento City College. It has a rich history of bringing Shakespearean performances and educational opportunities to the Sacramento community. The festival leverages the expertise of the Theatre Department’s resources, teachers, and students, as well as the most experienced and professional artists in the Sacramento area. The festival's origins can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when Sacramento City College first presented Shakespeare's plays at the William Carroll Amphitheatre. Productions during this period included classics such as "Romeo and Juliet," "Twelfth Night," "Macbeth," and "The Merry Wives of Windsor." However, due to the social climate of the times, the festival relocated to SCC’s Art Court Theatre, where it continued to produce classic plays, including works by Molière, Wycherly, and Sheridan, under the Classics Back to Back program from 1980 to 1985. In 1985, a concerted effort led by Larry Hendrick, then Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, and Theatre Professors J.D. Sutherland and Donna J. Sparks, along with Associate Professor Kim McCann, initiated the festival's return to the amphitheatre in William Land Park. This marked the beginning of what was then called Shakespeare in the Park. Despite the challenges of minimal lighting and basic sound systems, the inaugural season featuring "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Taming of the Shrew" was considered a success. Since its official inception in 1986, the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival has undergone significant growth and development. In the late 1990s, it was renamed to better reflect the community it serves. The festival has expanded its repertoire to include works by other authors that complement the Shakespearean canon, such as "Cyrano de Bergerac," "Count of Monte Cristo," and "The Three Musketeers." Additionally, the festival has implemented outreach programs like Shakespeare Lite, which brings performances to more remote areas, and a High School Intern Program that allows students to gain hands-on experience in all facets of theatre production. The festival also prides itself on its contribution to the arts community, with many former members advancing to professional theatre careers as actors, directors, stage managers, and theatre educators, joining prestigious organizations such as the Actor’s Equity Association. As the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival looks to the future, it remains committed to serving the Sacramento community and honoring the legacy of great playwrights, with the enduring belief that "the play's the thing."