Support the aSC

The steadfast support of donors like you has enabled the American Shakespeare Center to share the power of live theater to inspire, educate, and entertain audiences for more than 36 years. Thank you.

In Vanessa Morosco, ASC’s new Executive Director and an ASC veteran, we have found a leader whose passion, vision, and unwavering dedication to the arts promise to propel our beloved institution to new heights.

“We share light, ideas, joy, and community. We believe in the power of shared experiences to transcend barriers, foster conversation, and inspire creativity. We are a center of shared discovery, a center where we create worlds where all are welcome.” – Vanessa Morosco, Executive Director

Under Vanessa’s leadership, the ASC is prioritizing community building through shared experiences.

We believe that with your help, she will reinvigorate ASC and guarantee a strong and vibrant future for the company.

Your generous support will make a profound difference in our ability to carry out our mission – to illuminate the plays of Shakespeare…creating community in the Blackfriars Playhouse and beyond.

Your donation makes a tangible impact in:

Making Theater Affordable for Schools:

You help us keep ticket prices affordable. The return of student matinees has been greeted by new challenges, including declining school funding for the arts and limited bus transportation. Donations help eliminate those financial barriers, allowing students from all backgrounds to experience the transformative power of live theater.

Expanding Accessibility:

You enable us to expand American Sign Language Interpretation to the larger deaf community in our region. This spring, ASC provided the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind with the opportunity to experience Shakespeare’s political drama, Julius Caesar. American Sign Language Interpreters from Washington, DC, were invited to perform on stage alongside our actors.

Supporting Artistic Development:

You empower us to invest in the future of live theater by supporting emerging actors’ professional development and deepening their knowledge of Shakespeare through study with our education artists, visiting scholars, and guest artists.

Ways to Give

We are pleased to offer many ways to support the American Shakespeare Center. However you choose to give, we are thankful for your generosity.

By phone:

To make a gift by credit card or all other methods (i.e. gifts of stock, wire transfers, IRA Charitable Rollover) over the phone during regular business hours (Tuesday – Friday 8:00am -3pm), please call the ASC Box Office at 1-877-MUCH-ADO. The Box Office is open Wednesday-Friday from 1-5 PM and Saturday/Sunday from 12-4 PM.

By mail: 
For Checks – please make payable to the American Shakespeare Center and send to:
Attn: Development Office
American Shakespeare Center
20 S. New St., 4th Floor
Staunton, VA 24401
By STOCKS: 
The American Shakespeare Center gratefully accepts donations of publicly traded securities including stock, bonds, and mutual funds. Visit the “Donate Stocks, Bonds, or Mutual Funds” tab for details.
Online:

To make an immediate gift today…

Click Here to Make Your Gift

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) strives to maintain fiscal excellence and transparency. Access to all ASC revenue and expenses (990s) for the past 3 fiscal years and our most recent audit can be accessed via our Financial Information page.

Financial Information

Transform Lives with Your Gift

Thank you for lighting the way. As the American Shakespeare Center, we share light, ideas, joy, and community. Various images show students and patrons engaged in ASC educational programs and enjoying live performances. The quote reads, 'The ASC and Ralph Alan Cohen have spent years inspiring me, and now I get to inspire the next generation of future Shakespeare lovers through the Student matinees.

 

On behalf of our board and staff

We’d like to share our Fiscal Year 2024 Donor Impact Report, covering our work from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. We think—and hope you will too—that this report reflects the impact of our renewed and expanded efforts to increase accessibility, engage our communities, and recover the joys of Shakespeare.

As you explore this report, you’ll find stories, photos, and statistics that showcase the past year’s accomplishments. From powerful performances on stage and hands-on educational programs to an array of community events, we are committed to connecting people to live theater and through live theater to one another.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our dedicated team of artists, educators, staff, volunteers, and board members, all of whom pour their passion into the American Shakespeare Center.

Donors like you make everything we do possible. Your donation allows us to provide a vibrant season of productions, educational opportunities, and enriching experiences year-round. But it contributes more than that. It gives us the gift of knowing our work is meaningful to you. That knowledge both fuels and inspires us in our work. It gives us the precious sense of collaboration with friends far beyond the Blackfriars.
Shakespeare famously wrote that “All the world’s a stage,” but the reverse is true as well: the stage can be all the world. It is, as Oscar Wilde wrote, “the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”

So thank you for your continued trust and belief in the work we do. We are excited for what lies ahead and look forward to your ongoing support as we enter another season at the American Shakespeare Center of sharing light, imagination, and humanity.

We hope to see you at the Blackfriars Playhouse,

Vanessa Morosco, Executive Director of the American Shakespeare Center, and Ralph Cohen, founding Executive Director, stand in front of a library filled with books, including works by William Shakespeare.

Dr. Ralph Alan Cohen
Founding Executive Director
Vanessa Morosco
Executive Director

Support Live Theatre – Make Your Impact

 

Together we create a lasting impact. Icons represent key statistics: 3 new education programs, 19,704 first-time visitors, 700 students in workshops, $15,000 in student aid, $8,000 raised for musicians, 305 live performances, $14,000 in camp scholarships, 177 patrons engaged with Culture Pass, Virginia patron base expanded by 45.1%, and 7,667 students hosted for matinees

Artistic impACT & INNOVATION

 

The 2024 ASC Repertory Cast performs live music in period costumes on the Blackfriars Playhouse stage before a performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Your support is not only a donation; it’s a catalyst for change that resonates throughout our community. As one of the few professional theaters producing shows in repertory, we thrive on the energy of multiple productions running simultaneously, each one a vibrant thread in the rich tapestry of our artistic year.

Collaborating with talented directors, designers, and actors, we not only enhance our community but create meaningful connections that uplift careers. Your involvement allows us to shine our lights brighter than ever, bringing Shakespeare’s timeless works to life.

 

Bring Shakespeare to Life – Give Today

 

Fostering Creativity for All Ages

ASC campers sit on gallant stools on the stage of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, gazing off-camera in awe, capturing a moment of immersive theatrical engagement.

Your generosity transforms lives by enabling people of all ages to experience the profound impact of arts education. This year marked a significant expansion of our offerings: we launched an ASC Book Club for Adults with Staunton Public Library, introduced a new Drama Club session for ages 14-18, and added new No Kidding Drama Programs for adults.

We are also excited to announce a second ASC Theatre Camp session slated for Summer 2025, ensuring even more young people can discover the magic of theatre education and performance.

Thanks to your valuable patronage, ASC was able to fulfill 100% of student matinee financial aid requests, welcoming over 7,600 students to the Blackfriars—a remarkable increase of more than 3,000 students compared to 2022.

 

“For me, it was transformative in the best sense. I found my voice and a community of people with whom I greatly enjoyed sharing it. One of my best weeks ever!” – No Kidding Shakespeare Camper

Creating Opportunities for all

Ginna Hoben and Jenny Bennett engage with the audience during The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] (again) at the Blackfriars Playhouse. They wave their arms energetically as the audience waves back, creating an interactive and lively atmosphere.

Every seat filled represents a story shared, a connection made, and a community brought closer together through live theater. We launched our Culture Pass program at 11 libraries across the region, offering free access to ASC productions for 177 (and counting!) residents of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Additionally, your contributions help subsidize Pay-What-You-Will performances, Local Rush nights, and discounts for veterans. This commitment ensures that ticket prices do not hinder meaningful artistic experiences.

Your generosity also made American Sign Language Interpretation a reality, allowing students from the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind to engage with the powerful themes of Julius Caesar.

 

Be Part of the Magic – Donate Now

 

Real Stories. Real Impact.

We’re proud to share the Summer 2025 Donor Impact Update, a celebration of everything you make possible. Every seat, every performance, every moment of connection begins with your belief in this work.

Inside you’ll find:

  • Highlights from this years performances and community programs you helped bring to life

  • Stories of belonging, legacy, and shared purpose

  • Photos from our Lobby Grand Reopening, made possible through your generosity

  • Messages of gratitude from our team and the people whose lives you’ve touched

Explore the full report below or download your copy to read and share.

And this is just the beginning. We’ll be publishing a comprehensive Donor Impact Report in October to share even more of the stories and milestones you’ve inspired.

Make your commitment ongoing

Epizeuxis is the rhetorical device which denotes the repetition of words, for example, Hamlet’s famous phrase Words, words, words. Members of this society have pledged ongoing monthly or quarterly gifts.

Even just $10/month – the price of a couple of lattes – adds up to more than $100 annually.

 See Current Members   Join now

 

Maximize the impact of your gift with employer matching

Check with your Human Resource Department to see what options are available through your workplace.

Often, all you need to do is fill out your company’s gift-matching form, and submit online or send it along with your donation to ASC. Sometimes your company will match your gift even if you’ve retired, or they will provide monetary donations to match your volunteer hours.

The following is an incomprehensive list of companies who have matching gift programs and/or have generously matched gifts for ASC in the past.

  • Aetna
  • Allstate Insurance
  • Ameritech
  • AT&T
  • Augusta Health
  • Bank of America
  • BMO Harris Bank, N.A.
  • Briggs and Morgan, P.A.
  • Cadence
  • Chase
  • Chevron
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Dominion
  • ExxonMobil
  • Fannie Mae
  • First Citizens National Bank
  • IBM
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Norfolk Southern
  • Pfizer
  • Walmart
  • Voya Financial

Make a difference in the life of a high school camper

The ASC Theatre Camp is America’s preeminent college prep program for Shakespeare scholarship and performance.  Each year over 70 students gain practical skills in theatre performance and connections that last lifetimes.

The Sidney Stark III Memorial Scholarship Fund supports the American Shakespeare Center’s Theatre Camp which empowers high school students to leap into college life through the learning experiences within Shakespeare’s text. Named for Sidney Stark, an English teacher who dedicated his life to sharing the joy of language, this fund invests in students’ performance training, academic exploration, and the opportunity to share their passion with new friends from across the country.

We hear from students every year who are eager to participate, but can’t afford the cost of camp.  That’s we we started the ASCTC Scholarship Fund – so generous patrons can make a difference in the lives of our campers.

With your gift, we can help more high school students rediscover the universality of Shakespeare’s language, and make that treasure their own. We can expand the reach and impact of ASCTC to a broader range of campers, from here in Staunton and throughout the United States.

 Learn about ASC Theatre Camp  Donate

Help Keep the Music Alive at Blackfriars

Just like Shakespeare’s plays had a vibrant soundtrack, our performances at the Blackfriars Playhouse wouldn’t be the same without the incredible live music that fills the space. By supporting our Band Candy benefit fund, you help bring music to life, amplifying every ASC performance and supporting our talented musicians.

How Your Gift Makes an Impact

Your donation to Band Candy will:

  • Equip our in-house musicians with new instruments, fresh sound, and vibrant energy.
  • Fund lessons and skill-building, allowing them to keep delighting audiences with unforgettable performances.
  • Provided necessary maintenance, repairs, and other essential support to our much-loved instruments.

Every Gift Counts

Whether you’re donating to Band Candy or providing unrestricted support, your contribution is invaluable. It helps us sustain the music, the magic, and everything that makes ASC unforgettable for audiences of all ages.

Watch this short video to see how ASC’s music transforms the stage – and consider joining us in keeping the arts alive!

 

Donate to Band Candy

Questions? E-mail development@americanshakespearecenter.com

 

In addition to Band Candy, unrestricted donations make a powerful impact across all aspects of ASC. These gifts allow us to:

  • Support our actors in their home away from home.
  • Preserve the beauty and history of the Blackfriars Playhouse.
  • Enable educators to bring students on field trips to experience the magic of live theatre, often at little to no cost.

Every unrestricted donation keeps ASC strong, vibrant, and accessible to our entire community.

Make an Unrestricted Gift