St Louis Shakespeare Festival

50,000+ gather in forest park each summer to watch some of the nation's finest artists perform in Shakespeare's original language. Performances are completely free to attend - a summer tradition accessible to all. In june, 2022 the Shakespeare Festival staged much ado about nothing.

Education: in collaboration with 4theville and St. Louis public schools, the Festival leads an innovative in-school arts residency at sumner high school. Fourteen arts and culture institutions deliver arts and advocacy programs at north St. Louis' historic high school. Sumner was recommended for closure in fall 2020, a move that would further disinvestment in one of the nation's most historically significant black communities. The Festival and its partners have developed a multi-disciplinary recovery plan to increase student enrollment at sumner high. The board of education voted unanimously to adopt the program and keep the school open; the pilot year began august 23rd, 2021.

St. louisans share their stories through an immersive, year-long community engagement theater residency. Those stories are incorporated into a new play based on the community, inspired by Shakespeare, and performed for free in the city streets. In september 2022, the Festival premiered an original work in the bevo mill neighborhood of south St. Louis, titled: "winds of change!" Loosely inspired by Shakespeare's comedy of errors.

Tourco presented free Shakespeare in 20+ public parks across Missouri and illinois.this tour is the only one of its kind in our area: no other organization provides free Shakespeare for entire neighborhoods right in their own backyard. In august 2022, a 90-minute performance of a midsummer night's dream was staged in 24 parks throughout the region.new works: each year the Festival invests in emerging theatermakers to build on Shakespeare's legacy of storytelling. Locally convened literally workshops took place throughout the year for three emerging playwright cohorts.