Santa Cruz Shakespeare

Santa Cruz, California, 95065 United States

Mission Statement

Inspired by Shakespeare, we create and strengthen community by bringing audiences and theatre artists together to celebrate stories about our collective humanity.

About This Cause

Santa Cruz Shakespeare ("SCS") is well loved for its Summer Repertory Theatre Festival held at the Audrey Stanley Grove, a beautiful outdoor venue beneath majestic redwood trees in DeLaveaga Park. In 1981, the Festival held its first season at The Glen, an outdoor theater on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The company became a standalone nonprofit In 2013, and, thanks to assistance from the City of Santa Cruz, broad community support, and a successful $1.3M capital campaign, the Grove at DeLaveaga Park was built, and a beloved Santa Cruz tradition continued (now nearing 45 years). In addition to its summer repertory season (consisting of works by Shakespeare and other great playwrights), SCS -- now the only professional theatre in Santa Cruz county -- has expanded to year-round programming (using other venues during the wet winter season). We also offer a variety of educational programs for students of all ages, from youth classes and student matinee performances to collaborations with UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College (including internship and apprentice programs, our "Undiscovered Shakespeare" performances, and "Weekend with Shakespeare," a series of symposia and discussions linked to our season productions). And, in 2025, we launched a new touring program to bring professional performances to schools that can't travel to our student matinees. Our inaugural tour is currently presenting "A Midsummer Night's Dream" throughout ten Bay Area counties. In 2025, we also launched a new $750,000 capital campaign to finish construction of a multi-purpose facility at the Grove (which will provide dressing rooms, shop space, offices, and storage), as well as to purchase and renovate our (currently leased) patron restrooms -- together saving us over $100,000 a year in rental costs. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has made our work possible, and we can't wait for all that lies ahead. Thank you for your generous support!

Santa Cruz Shakespeare
501 Upper Park Rd
Santa Cruz, California 95065
United States
Phone 831-460-6396
Twitter @scshakes
Unique Identifier 464635444