Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre
The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, formerly the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival,[1][2] was an annual Shakespearean theatre festival in Philadelphia. The company suspended production in 2016.[3] The company resumed school tours in 2017, but has been inactive since 2021.[4][5]
Every year, the Festival produced two or three productions of Shakespeare's plays. Founded as the Red Heel Theatre in 1989,[6] 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.[7] 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[8] providing early career actors with intense classical training culminating in a free summer Shakespeare play for the public.
In 2008, Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution honoring the Festival.[1]
Shakespeare Café
The Shakespeare Café was a program introduced in the 2007 season. This was the Festival's less formal Shakespeare offering.
Past Festivals
1996 Deirdre of the Sorrows,[7] Much Ado About Nothing[7]
1998 The Merchant of Venice,[7] The Tempest[7]
1999 Much Ado About Nothing,[7] Hamlet[7]
2000 The Winter’s Tale,[7] The Taming of the Shrew,[7] Romeo and Juliet[7]
2001 Measure for Measure,[7] Twelfth Night[7], Cymbeline[7]
2002 Othello,[7] A Midsummer Night’s Dream,[7] King Lear[7]
2003 Julius Caesar,[7] Macbeth[7]
2004 The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[7]
2005 As You Like It,[7] Hamlet,[7] Twelfth Night[7]
2006 Much Ado About Nothing,[7] The Tempest,[7] The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),[7] The Two Gentlemen of Verona[7]
2007 The Taming of the Shrew,[7] Othello,[7]
2008 Romeo and Juliet[7], Pericles, Prince of Tyre[7]
2009 Henry IV, Part I,[7] The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[7]
2010 Henry V,[7] Macbeth[7], A Midsummer Night’s Dream[7]
2011 The Comedy of Errors,[7] Hamlet,[7] As You Like It[7]
2012 Cymbeline,[7] Twelfth Night,[7] Titus Andronicus[7]
2013 Much Ado About Nothing,[7] Othello,[7] The Two Noble Kinsmen[7]
2014 Henry V,[7] iHamlet,[7] Love’s Labour’s Lost,[7] Romeo and Juliet[7]
2015 The Taming of the Shrew,[7] Kill Will,[7] A Midsummer Night’s Dream[7]
References
- 1 2 "Stockton Shakespeare Hamlet" (PDF).
- ↑ "About | The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre". www.phillyshakespeare.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ Salisbury, Stephan (14 June 2016). "Philly Shakespeare Theatre suspends productions for at least a year". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ Derakhshani, Tirdad (25 April 2017). "Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre takes 'Hamlet' to high school". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ Khan, Carmen (April 2021). "A Message From Our Artistic/Executive Director". The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ↑ "Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre | Arts Volunteer Opportunities". 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 "About | The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre". www.phillyshakespeare.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ Miller, Debra (2014-01-19). "Celebrating Shakespeare at 450: An Interview with The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre's Carmen Khan". phindie. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ ""Thrilling and Savage" Macbeth – The Inquirer | The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre". www.phillyshakespeare.org. Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ ""Deliciously straightforward" Macbeth – Nealspaper.com | The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre". www.phillyshakespeare.org. Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Students see HAMLET as Shakespeare Intended – Philadelphia Inquirer / Philly.com – The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre". www.phillyshakespeare.org. Archived from the original on 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2026-07-07.