Grounded in the works of Shakespeare, we enrich communities through accessible, inclusive, professional theatre experiences that educate, inspire, and entertain diverse audiences.
Kentucky Shakespeare serves communities through the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, education programs for schools, public performances, and community outreach programs. Now in its 66th season, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park is the longest-running free, non-ticketed Shakespeare festival in the United States. As the most comprehensive in-school arts education provider in the Commonwealth, Kentucky Shakespeare serves schools throughout the region with interactive educational programming directly tied to academic standards, helping impact student achievement. Our many community programs explore conflict resolution, empathy building, and communication, in a range of settings from parks to prisons, from preschools to senior centers.
What we do:
- PERFORMANCES: Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, Shakespeare in the Parks tour, Shakespeare in the Libraries tour, Indoor productions during the year
- EDUCATION PERFORMANCE AND WORKSHOP TOUR 25-26: Two-Actor The Tempest, Shakespeare Alive!, The Tempest Spring Tour, Voice of Social Change: Ira Aldridge, Living History: We the People, Living History: Kentucky History, Bard Buddies, Fairy Tales from Around the World, Hip-Hop Shakespeare, Conflict Resolution and Anti-Bullying, Acting Fundamentals, Stage Combat, Staging Shakespeare, Renaissance Dance, Discovering Shakespeare, Mathematics of Shakespearean Design, and Voices of Young Women
- CAMPS AND CLASSES: Camp Shakespeare, Shakespeare Off the Page
- COMMUNITY PROGRAMS: Shakespeare with Veterans, Juvenile Justice Arts Program, Shakespeare with Immigrants and Refugees, Survivorship Shakespeare with those impacted by cancer, Community Creates: Brave Spirits program for LGBTQ+ teens, Community Creates: Down Syndrome of Louisville, and other community residencies
