California Shakespeare Theater
| California Shakespeare Theater | |
|---|---|
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| Location(s) | Orinda, California |
| Artistic director | Eric Ting |
| Foundation | 1974 |
| Founded by | Mikel Clifford Peter Fisher Jerry Landis Rolf Saxon Robert Eldred Schneider Myron Schreck Vince Tolman |
| Type of play(s) | Shakespeare |
| Website | |
California Shakespeare Theater ("Cal Shakes") is a regional theater located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its performance space, the Lt. G.H. Bruns III Memorial Amphitheater, is located in Orinda, while the administrative offices, rehearsal hall, costume and prop shop are located in Berkeley.
Founded as the Emeryville Shakespeare Company, the company began performances in 1974, with productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream with Deborist Benjamin as Peaseblossom, following her role as Celia in the premier production of "As You Like It". and The Tempest in John Hinkle Park in Berkeley. It was founded by a group of amateurs who wanted the enjoyment and experience of acting and production: no one was paid, and the plays were free.
The company produced several more plays in 1974–1975, including Pantagleize by Michel de Ghelderode during the winter, Twelfth Night and a transfer of the Berkeley High School production of As You Like It. After that, the name changed to the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, and started a schedule of four plays per year that continues to this day, although more non-Shakespeare plays are now on the bill. Dakin Matthews was Artistic Director from 1983–1987, with Michael Addison taking over as A.D. in 1987 and holding the position till 1995.
In 1991, the festival built its current performance venue, the 545-seat Bruns Memorial Amphitheater in the Orinda hills, and changed its name to California Shakespeare Festival. In 1995, actor Joe Vincent took over the theater's artistic direction, serving till 1999.
In 2000, Jonathan Moscone was appointed its Artistic Director. In his first season at Cal Shakes, Moscone directed a production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead; the company continued to produce one non-Shakespeare play a year until 2005, when its productions of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts One & Two (Charles Dickens, adapted by David Edgar) began a tradition of two Shakespeare plays and two non-Shakespeare plays each season. In 2003, the company officially changed its name to California Shakespeare Theater. In 2009, Susie Falk was named Managing Director, following the departure of Debbie Chinn. In late 2009, Moscone was chosen by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) as the inaugural recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award. The award was created to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through his singular creativity and artistry in theater.
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