Statements
Mission
The mission of Nashville Shakespeare Festival is to educate and entertain the Mid-South community through professional theatrical experiences.
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival enriches and unifies the community with bold, innovative, and relevant productions along with engaging, participatory educational programs, setting the regional standard of excellence in educational outreach and theatrical performances.
Background
In 1988, a group of local actors and technicians produced the first free-of-charge Shakespeare in the Park production of AS YOU LIKE IT in Centennial Park. The community responded and a beloved annual tradition was born.
The Festival is now one of the region's leading professional theatres offering year-round programming and substantial employment and training for theatre artists. Designed to be accessible to people from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, over 366,000 Middle Tennesseans have attended Summer Shakespeare since 1988. Admission has remained free with donations welcomed and premium seats available for any who choose to support the Festival.
In 1992, in response to the need for an arts-in-education program in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, NSF developed a series of touring versions of Shakespeare's best-known works. These abridged productions tour diverse casts to middle and high schools throughout the state as well as regional colleges and universities. The Festival has become a trusted resource for schools by providing enriching in-classroom workshops and creative opportunities for students. Over 232,000 students - many of whom had never experienced live theatre before - have been introduced to Shakespeare, August Wilson, and others, through the Festival's interactive workshops and energetic performances.
In 2008, Belmont University invited The Nashville Shakespeare Festival to be a professional company in residence at its new Troutt Theater. Providing both public performances and daytime school performances, the winter productions have served over 70,400 students and adults who are given the opportunity to experience these productions free of charge through NSF grant awards.
The NSF offers many other community events throughout the year, including: Shakespeare Allowed, offered monthly in partnership with the Nashville Public Library and weekly at the Room In the Inn, serving people experiencing homelessness.
Impact
2024 Programs:
SUMMER SHAKESPEARE (FKA Shakespeare in the Park) - This beloved 36-year Nashville tradition provides an outdoor theatre festival free to the public, including professional productions, nightly pre-show concerts by diverse musicians, and food vendors. An average of 11,800 people have attended each year for the past 10 years. In 2024, we will be performing AS YOU LIKE IT at oneC1TY in Nashville and Academy Park in Franklin, TN. Before each show there is a public "Insight" talk with a scholar for those audience members seeking an introduction to the work being performed.
Every Summer since 1999, the NSF casts a diverse group of emerging artists, aged 13 and up, for the APPRENTICE COMPANY, which receives 3 weeks of intensive training, and then performs appropriate roles alongside the professional actors in the Shakespeare production. For younger children, there are weekly ELF & FAIRY CAMPS, learning theatre skills after school.
WINTER/SPRING SHAKESPEARE - Every winter/spring since 2008, NSF has produced one or more productions in conjunction with local universities, providing both public performances and schoolday matinee performances for students. These performances not only provide fantastic entertainment options for local arts enthusiasts and educational field trips for local middle and high schools, they also create professional learning opportunities for rising artists in university theatre programs to work alongside and train with their professional peers. In 2024, HAMLET was produced in conjunction with Lipscomb University. 2025 will feature PRIDE & PREJUDICE co-produced with Belmont University.
In Winter and Spring, the NSF's SHAKESPEARE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE touring company brings shortened versions of Shakespeare plays to schools and other community venues, along with in-classroom workshops taught by the actors which get students on their feet and working with text the way an actor does. These performances and workshops are provided free of charge to Title I schools in Middle Tennessee. Winter productions typically serve 6,000 to 8,000 people.
SHAKESPEARE ALLOWED invites members of the public to read a Shakespeare play out loud together, once a month at the Nashville Public Library. A similar program is offered weekly as a class at Room in the Inn, a shelter and resource center for Nashvillians experiencing homelessness. These programs serve about 1,000 people per year, particularly senior citizens and the homeless.
Throughout the year, the SCHOOL AT NASHVILLE SHAKES hosts actor training on a variety of topics such as text work, stage combat, and auditioning, for all levels and ages. These may take the form of a weekly class or a week-long camp for school-aged students during breaks in the academic schedule.
The DIRECTORS IN RESIDENCE program is an opportunity for a school, university, or community center to have a professional theatre artist direct their students in a school production. 2023 engagements have included at Harpeth Hall School and Franklin Road Academy.
In partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt, the Festival offers a two-day class on Shakespeare-related topics and an accompanying performance, serving approximately 70 senior citizens most years.
Since 2020, we have had the ability to visit schools and hold classes virtually when called for, and in 2021 we produced two video productions which schools can view in the event we cannot visit them, and they require an all-virtual program.
Needs
General operating support is needed to foster the growth of our organization so we can continue to develop new educational engagement content, raise production values, and deepen the relationship with our audiences year after year. Donations can be mailed to our offices, made online at www.nashvilleshakes.org, or by calling 615-255-2273.
Program sponsors are needed to support the Summer Shakespeare production, Pre-Show Concert Series, and Winter Shakespeare productions.
Nashville Shakespeare Festival is in need of storage, shop, rehearsal, classroom/workshop and performance space. The ideal location would accommodate all business and production activities.
Volunteers and interns are needed year-round, but especially during our summer and winter productions. For more information, see https://www.nashvilleshakes.org/volunteer-opportunities
CEO Statement
The Friar in ROMEO AND JULIET counsels Romeo saying, "Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast." The reason the Festival is still doing business and making great theatre after 35 years is that we have continued on our mission wisely and slowly. We have received wise counsel, and have been very careful to always make the most of what we have, never overstepping our bounds. Steadily, for three decades, we have grown. We listen attentively to your suggestions about how to better serve the Mid-South community, and we continue to improve and grow as the community supports and encourages us.
Summer audiences average about 12,000, and more than 4,000 youth from over 50 different schools see the Winter Shakes shows and Shakespeare Education Experience touring shows. Through our outreach programs, the Apprentice Company, and the School at Nashville Shakes we offer training and enrichment to hundreds of lifelong learners of all ages.
We strive to make Shakespeare's works accessible to all, to reflect our community's diversity on stage, to employ theatre artists, to offer training to those new to playing Shakespeare and enrichment to experienced actors. Most of our contributing artists either live in Nashville or have a strong connection to this region. Live music and original compositions are signature features in our productions. We are committed to creating artful experiences from within our culture using the medium of Shakespeare's magnificent works.
We interpret and present Shakespeare's plays in ways that help contemporary audiences relate to the language, stories and characters. We edit the plays to achieve 2-hour running times, but do so with the utmost care for the meter, form, and language. Bringing Shakespeare's works to life means unfolding the truths of the plays through brave text-based interpretations of the stories and bold embodiment of the characters. The most important part of making the plays accessible and relatable is having actors who can master the text. We strive to pay a standard living wage, which attracts and keeps the best actors on our stages.
Presenting fully realized productions of Shakespeare's plays can awaken peoples' minds to the power of language and the consequences of actions, and open their hearts to the possibilities of artful expression. Shakespeare's glorious language reminds us of our humanity in all of its fragile, renewable, resilient glory.
We are grateful for every opportunity to serve the whole community and thankful for your interest in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Onward! Denice Hicks
Board Chair Statement
As the newly appointed Chair of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, I am honored to take on this role, building upon my previous experience as the Vice Chair of the Board. My journey with the Festival, which is deeply rooted in Nashville's cultural scene, has been a testament to my commitment to the arts and community engagement. With this new responsibility, I am eager to further our mission of bringing Shakespeare's timeless works to life for all.
Our festival is at a crucial juncture, ready to expand and enhance our offerings. As Board Chair, my focus is to build on our existing successes while exploring innovative avenues to broaden our reach and deepen our impact in Nashville and beyond. We are steadfast in our commitment to creating enriching experiences that resonate with diverse audiences, emphasizing excellence, inclusivity, and sustainability.
The dedication of our team, coupled with the unwavering support of our community, is the backbone of our festival. Together, we will face the challenges and embrace the opportunities that come our way, propelling the Nashville Shakespeare Festival into a future characterized by growth, innovation, and significant cultural contribution.
I am excited to work collaboratively with the board, our talented staff, and our valued partners to achieve our shared objectives and cement our place as a pivotal cultural institution in Nashville. With a united vision and collective effort, we are poised to accomplish extraordinary feats.
Thank you for your continued support and confidence in our mission. The journey ahead is promising, and I am ready to lead us forward with passion and purpose.
Dr. Char Dennis, Board Chair, Nashville Shakespeare Festival
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Theater |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts Education |
| Tertiary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Cultural & Ethnic Awareness |
Areas Served
The majority come from Middle TN, mostly from Nashville. Our Summer Shakespeare production consistently draws statistically significant audiences from all of TN, KY, AL, GA, NC, & SC. Our Winter Shakespeare (WS) production also serves mainly Middle TN, but focusing on school matinees. Groups come from as far away as Knoxville. In 2020, WS expanded to venues in Davidson, Rutherford, Coffee, Williamson, and Montgomery Counties. The SEE tour traverses the region including neighboring states.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Warren |
| KY - Christian |
