Richard III. Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen form Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, a professional traveling troupe. SSE opens Richard III and tours VA.
The Taming of the Shrew. In May, SSE embarks on its first spring tour, taking The Taming of the Shrew to DE, PA, VT, NH, and NY.
Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night's Dream. SSE moves to a repertory format and performs Julius Caesar at the annual meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America in Philadelphia.
Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. SSE's first summer season features an extended Valley Season in Harrisonburg, VA, and extended runs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy funds SSE's first grant award, "Bringing Shakespeare Home-A Seminar for Teachers."
The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and The Comedy of Errors. SSE's first overseas tour (two weeks at the Shakespeare Globe Museum in London and two weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland) follows its sold-out run on the Elizabethan stage at the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. The National Endowment for the Arts awards general-operating support.
Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet. The Washington Post and The Boston Globe print rave reviews of SSE shows. The company performs at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.
Much Ado about Nothing, Othello, and The Taming of the Shrew. SSE makes its first visit to Canada with a weeklong residency at the University of Ottawa. The Virginia Commission for the Arts awards general-operating support.
The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. SSE performs in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and Scotland; runs the Center for Renaissance and Shakespearean Staging (C.R.A.S.S.), a six-week summer institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities; and, with the new "James" troupe, establishes an autumn tour that features Hamlet and Twelfth Night concurrently with the twelve-month ("Elizabeth" troupe) tour.
As You Like It, Henry V, Julius Caesar, and The Comedy of Errors. A tour coordinated by the International Shakespeare Globe Centre takes SSE into primary and secondary schools in England. The Virginia Commission for the Arts features SSE in the VCA Tour Directory. The second James troupe plays to twice as many colleges and high schools as the previous year's James troupe.
Love's Labour's Lost, 1 Henry IV, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Macbeth. SSE performs to sell-out crowds during its fourth extended run at the Folger Shakespeare Library. The James troupe inaugurates a weeklong residency in KY. The first Young Company Theatre Camp introduces high school students to SSE-style Shakespeare, complete with classes, workshops, and the students' own production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Measure for Measure, Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. The Washington Post touts SSE for its "shamelessly entertaining Shakespeare." The James troupe produces Shakespeare Para Todos, a bilingual outreach performance of Shrew that targets Hispanic audiences in the Shenandoah Valley. The second annual YCTC draws students from as far away as Albany, NY, and the Grand Cayman Islands. The Shubert Foundation awards general-operating support.
The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Much Ado about Nothing, and Hamlet. SSE officially changes its name to Shenandoah Shakespeare; moves to Staunton, VA; and begins work on phase one of a three-part plan to build an indoor theatre called the Blackfriars Playhouse, a Globe Theatre, and a Center for Research and Education. The company performs The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Francis Beaumont (a U.S. professional premiere and Shenandoah Shakespeare's first play by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries). A three-week run at the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. proves the most successful public run in Shenandoah Shakespeare's history. The Elizabeth and James troupes add TN, WI, and FL to the list of states visited. The VFH funds a weeklong summer seminar for high school teachers and honors Shenandoah Shakespeare for its contributions to literature and the humanities in Virginia. Shenandoah Shakespeare's website gets a major overhaul.
Richard II, Much Ado about Nothing, Doctor Faustus, Othello, Twelfth Night, and The Roaring Girl. Shenandoah Shakespeare conducts a successful capital campaign and begins construction of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA. The Elizabeth troupe mounts Shenandoah Shakespeare's first-ever "Virginia Season," performing the troupe's full repertory in seven central Virginia cities over a six-week period; they then travel great distances to bring SSE to WY; Yukon, Canada; and Alaska for the first time. The James troupe moves to a three-play repertory, and their tour expands from four to nine months; they add the U.S. Virgin Islands and MI to the company's ever-growing roster, which now boasts 46 states and Washington, D.C.; 5 foreign countries; and 1 U.S. Territory.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Alchemist, The Winter's Tale, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, The Comedy of Errors, Saint Joan, and An American Christmas Carol. Shenandoah Shakespeare completes construction of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA; in September the Elizabeth troupe is the first to take its bows on Shenandoah Shakespeare's new home stage. In October, notables gather for the first Blackfriars Scholars' Conference, which draws the world's most prominent authorities on Shakespeare in Performance, including keynote speaker, Andrew Gurr, the first academic head of Shakespeare's Globe in London. Playing to sell-out crowds, the James and Elizabeth troupes both perform at the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. The Elizabeth troupe performs at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in D.C.; this troupe also returns to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, and to the Globe Neuss Festival in Neuss, Germany. For the first time, two James troupes are cast simultaneously, allowing Shenandoah Shakespeare to keep two touring troupes on the road in the fall, while the Elizabeth troupe performs in the Blackfriars Playhouse. In conjunction with the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Shenandoah Shakespeare's Elizabeth troupe presents "Summer on the Lawn," an intensive three-day education seminar for Shakespeare enthusiasts. In partnership with Shenandoah Shakespeare, Mary Baldwin College launches its Master of Letters/ Master of Fine Arts program in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance, the only Masters program of its kind in the U.S. The Queen City Acoustic music series moves to Blackfriars Playhouse, hosting such national acts as Robin and Linda Williams, The Seldom Scene, and Riders in the Sky. Shenandoah Shakespeare's staff increases from 8 to 22, plus 3 interns.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Tempest, Coriolanus, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Richard III, Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol. Shenandoah Shakespeare again partners with the University of Virginia to present the second annual "Summer on the Lawn" seminar for Shakespeare enthusiasts. Shenandoah Shakespeare Executive Director Ralph Cohen leads an National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for Theatre and English scholars from across the U.S.: "Shakespeare's Theatres, Inside and Out," is held at the Blackfriars Playhouse and at Shakespeare's Globe in London. Also in the summer, the company's Young Company Theatre Camp for high school students adds a second session to handle ever-increasing interest in the program; both camps fill to capacity. In August, Shenandoah Shakespeare hosts the first annual CommonWealth Performance Festival, which brings together 12 theatre companies presenting 46 performances of 14 productions. In September, the company's first Resident Troupe performs in the Blackfriars Playhouse. That troupe is part of another company first when Twelfth Night is produced in original dress. Terry Southerington builds the costumes in consulation with Ginny Tiramani of the Globe. The Beguile the Rich Tour takes Love's Labour's Lost to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Because Blackfriars has its own troupe, in December SSE cuts back to one touring troupe, eliminating the "Elizabeth" and "James" tour design. The Queen City Acoustic music series holds another successful season, including sell-outs by Jimmy Fortune (three shows), Vienna Choir Boys (two shows), Robin & Linda Williams, The Seldom Scene, and Roger McGuinn.