The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, formerly the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, was an annual Shakespearean theatre festival in Philadelphia. The company suspended production in 2016.[1] The company resumed school tours in 2017, but has been inactive since 2021.[2][3]

Every year, The Festival produced two or three productions of Shakespeare's plays. Founded as the Red Heel Theatre in 1989, and changing name and purpose in 1993, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival was the region's only theatre devoted entirely to Shakespeare's works. In 2008/9, the company was renamed The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. The Theatre had several programs for adults and students including a lecture series, school matinees, a Shakespeare School Tour, placed teaching artists in classrooms, and a Classical Acting Academy providing early career actors with intense classical training culminating in a free summer Shakespeare play for the public.

In Summer 2008, The City Council of Philadelphia passed a resolution honoring The Theatre.

Shakespeare Café

The Shakespeare Café was program introduced in the 2007 season. Following the trend of trying to make Shakespeare more digestible, this was The Festival's less formal offering based on the Bard's work.

Past Festivals

2008 Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, Prince of Tyre

2007 Othello, The Taming of the Shrew

2006 The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

2005 Hamlet, As You Like It

2004 Julius Caesar, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

2003 Othello, Macbeth

2002 A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Lear, Cymbeline

2001 Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Romeo and Juliet

2000 The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter's Tale, Hamlet

References

  1. ^ Salisbury, Stephan (14 June 2016). "Philly Shakespeare Theatre suspends productions for at least a year". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  2. ^ Derakhshani, Tirdad (25 April 2017). "Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre takes 'Hamlet' to high school". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  3. ^ Khan, Carmen (April 2021). "A Message From Our Artistic/Executive Director". The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
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