USA Special Event Description:
Founded in 1973, the award-winning California Shakespeare Festival presents approximately 100 performances of four different Shakespeare and classic plays each summer in the Bruns Amphitheater in the East Bay hills between Berkeley and Orinda, California, and is among the premier summer cultural events in Northern California.
Under Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone, the Theater's Mission to make great works of world literature come fully alive in a magnificent outdoor setting has gained a new vitality.
In 1991 the Theater moved to its permanent home, the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, located near Orinda, in the dramatic East Bay hills. Designed by noted architect Gene Angell in the footprint of Shakespeare's Globe, the $3 million facility seats 545 and has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as the most dramatic and attractively situated in the region -- a stunner. Many patrons bring pre-performance picnics to enjoy on the extensive, sylvan grounds, a protected watershed of the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
Cal Shakes also offers programs to enhance the theatrical experience for the public. Of note is a free discussion series, In Sight, in which noted scholars and experts lead lively discussions on larger contexts in which to see the plays we produce. At our popular Inside Scoop (formerly Symposia), patrons learn about the upcoming production and the artists' conception of the play. Free special events for audience members complement the main stage performances. Nightly Grove Talks offer an informative pre-show discussion for audience members and, featuring fascinating guest speakers, are held before most performances. Sunday Q and A Matinees provide audiences with the opportunity to discuss the play with the actors following the performance.
Event Performers:
The 2001 seasons features Shakespeare's Cymbeline (May 30 - June 24), Romeo+Juliet (Aug 3 - Sept 2), and Twelfth Night (Sept 12 - Oct 7), along with Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth (July 4 - 20).
Location of USA Special Event:
Bruns Amphitheater
Directions to Festival:
Gateway Blvd, just off Hwy 24
Admission & Parking:
Single tickets run $12 to $41. Subscriptions are available.
Ample free parking; free BART shuttle; picnicking and food/beverages available onsite.
Special Event Contact: 510-548-9666
Event Email Contact: letters@calshakes.org
