Shakespeare Festival of Dallas
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Shakespeare Dallas (formerly know as Shakespeare Festival of Dallas) has been a local staple since the 1970s.
As of January, 2008, Raphael Parry was appointed the figurehead of the organization under the title of Executive & Artistic Director. [1]
From the official website:
Inspired by the egalitarian nature of the New York Shakespeare Festival, Robert "Bob" Glenn started Shakespeare Dallas in 1971, as a free summer Shakespeare festival. Today, it is one of North Texas' most treasured summertime traditions and the area's only producer of an education program solely focused on teaching Shakespeare. It is the second oldest company in the county that still provides a portion of its programming free of charge. The company is still guided by its original mission - to make the works of William Shakespeare accessible to all - and strives to do so by maintaining an affordable cost structure that fits the entire community. The goal is to build future audiences, nurture the North Texas region and serve as the cultural Shakespearean anchor of the Southwest. Summer programs are presented in Dallas, Texas, and Addison, Texas. The education program is offered throughout the entire North Texas region. The mission of Shakespeare Dallas is to make the works of William Shakespeare accessible to all. The company serves its mission by providing free admission to the majority of its programs, offering top quality Shakespearean productions in a casual, outdoor setting. They also offer the only education program in North Texas that takes the fear out of studying Shakespeare. Currently under the banner Shakespeare On The Go, the company offers two local area tours that go into schools and youth venues in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.
The majority of performances are at the Samuel-Grand Amphitheatre in Lakewood.
[edit] See also
Junior Players, a local non-profit company providing free acting classes, performance opportunities, and other events for local children and teens, every year co-produces an all high-school cast production, performed for the week following the Shakespeare Festival's main pair of shows. Their shows, typically comedies, are always very distinctive in concept and receive rave reviews: often surpassing those of the traditional productions.
