Holiday DIGITAL PROGRAM
JOIN US FOR the EPIC CONCLUSION TO ASC’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR!
From ASC’s Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is delighted to join the talented artists and dedicated staff of the American Shakespeare Center in celebrating our 35th anniversary. The legacy shines brightly in the Blackfriars Playhouse and beyond, and the future is luminescent. We invite all of our friends, old and new, to visit us at the Playhouse during this special year.
From Brandon Carter, Artistic Director
Welcome to the conclusion of ASC’s 35th Season.
Anniversaries give us the opportunity to share how our marriage to Shakespeare’s work is a priority to us. Celebrating gives us a chance to pull back from the daily grind and set an intention for the next step in the journey. Our intention during this 35th Anniversary season is to continue working towards a joy-filled and impactful future while remembering the precious times we’ve spent together in the Playhouse with Shakespeare and his contemporaries, old and new.
We all know that no marriage is merely filled with rose-colored memories. This is also a time for us to remember what we’ve been through together and remind ourselves that, along with the triumphs, the trials that make us stronger too.
No anniversary is complete without a gift, right? Coincidentally, our 35th is shared with another special celebration—the 400th anniversary of the First Folio, the 1623 publication that saved Shakespeare’s plays for generations to enjoy, which was entered into the Stationers’ Register on November 8, 1623. Our special gift is no coral or jade but better. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, ASC joins a year-long celebration with other theatres around the globe. The impact of this special volume has inspired us to produce the First Folio versions of all the Shakespeare titles in the 2023 Season.
So this year, act like it’s your first date and you’re gunning for a second. Take the day off work. Make plans or reservations ahead of time. We challenge you to experience the thrill of how different the Folio versions are from everything you believe you know. Share your stories and your passion. Come one, come all, and join us in the celebration. We look forward to your return to the Blackfriars! Happy 35th!
ASC Mission
American Shakespeare Center illuminates the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, classic and new, refreshing the individual, fostering civil discourse, and creating community in the Blackfriars Playhouse and beyond.
Learn More About ASC and Shakespeare’s original staging conditions
ASC History
We began in 1988 when Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen formed the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, a traveling troupe that used Shakespeare’s staging conditions to perform his plays. By 2000, we had performed in 47 states, one U.S. territory, and six foreign countries. Partnering with the City of Staunton and aided by private donors and generous help from Augusta County and the Commonwealth of Virginia, we built the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor playhouse in 2001. With one troupe at home and one on the road, we expanded our educational offerings and created America’s first MFA program in Shakespeare and Performance at Mary Baldwin University. We also established an international biennial conference for scholars, and we became the American Shakespeare Center. In 2009, to honor our achievement of turning Staunton into a world Shakespeare destination, the Commonwealth recognized us with the Governor’s Arts Award. By our 30th year, in 2018, we had played to nearly two million people, produced all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays (many of them more than twice), 36 plays by his contemporaries, and a grand total of 286 different productions in 5,506 performances.
Learn More
SUPPORT THE ASC
Please consider making a gift to honor the past 35 years and secure the next generation. Your gift will help us continue our legacy of engaging and exciting productions that showcase the power of connection and inspiration. Whether you can give a little or a lot, your contribution allows us to do what we do best: make Shakespeare accessible for all.
Support ASC by making a gift today
Blackfriars playhouse
Blackfriars Playhouse
The world’s only recreation of Shakespeare’s Indoor Theatre
- Take a 360 Tour of the Theater by photographer Richard Finklestein.
Learn More About the Blackfriar’s Playhouse
Explore Staunton
Staunton makes the perfect weekend destination!
Looking for a spot to grab a meal or drink before or after the show? Explore our Drink and Dining GUIDE.
ASC Gift Shop
From T-Shirts to Cookie Cutters—the gift shop has something from everyone.
Shop from your seat, select pick up at checkout, and your order will be ready for you when you leave!
Shop now
Cover photo: Molly Martinez-Collins and Ben Lambert. Photo by October Grace Media.
More Resources
Make the Most of your visit to ASC
From our Enrichment Series to Special Events—there is something for everyone!
THE AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS OF ITS CURRENT SEASON SUPPORTERS:
Donor Roll List pulled from august 1, 2022 to august 1, 2023
(Donors in bold have donated 5 consecutive years. Donors marked * are members of the Epizeuxis Society and have pledged ongoing monthly or quarterly gifts.)
ROYALS ($50,000+)
Paul G. Beers
NOBLES ($25,000- $49,999)
Jim & Shirley Gillespie
Kimberly West
PATRONS ($15,000- $24,999)
Anonymous
Pamela Friedman & Ronald Bailey*
Aaron & Candice Hark
Lynne Puckett & Christoph Lehman
AMBASSADORS ($10,000 – $14,999)
John C. Attig
Ralph & Judy Cohen
Danny & Leigh McDaniel
Seth & Sharon Stark
Myron “Buddy” Steves Jr. & Rowena Young/ The Blue Bonnet Foundation
GALLANTS ($5,000 – $9,999)
Anonymous
Richard H.C. & Elizabeth Clay
Clifford Garstang*
Bouvard Hosticka
Davidson Perry-Miller
Robert & Sara Lee Menzer
Lyn & Thomas Olson
Lynn Rainville & Baron Schwartz
Tiffany Stern
Donald Warmke/The Evergreen Fund
PLAYERS ($2,500 – $4,999)
Harvey & Naomi Cohen
Rebecca & William Connelly
Sara Holmes
Erik & Kerry Kisa
Tracy Fisher*
Pamela Fox & Dan Layman
Dr. Preston C. & Mrs. Jane Manning, Jr.
Richard McPherson
OAL Foundation in memory of Kent Simons
Ann Pontius & Michael Stahl
Gene & Karen Van Slett
William & Lisa Moore
Tynisha D. Willingham*
JOURNEYMEN ($1,000 – $2,499)
Anonymous (4)
Peter Archey
Drs. Patrick & Allison Baroco*
Charlotte & Collins Beagle in memory of Eugene C. Beagle
Dr. Rudolph Bell
Carolyn Paxman Bentley
Laurie Berman
Mary Margaret Pipkin & Robert Boisture
Richard & Kathryn Bump
Rejena Carreras
Wendell & Ruth Cole
Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Crawford, III
Debra Drummond-Berger in memory of Tom Berger*
English Speaking Union
Tom & Diane Fechtel
Martha Ferguson
The Fetzer Institute
Alexander & Joanne Gabbin
Dwight & Lindsey George*
Christopher & Rebecca Grandle*
Margaret & Richard Haupt
Stanley S. & Sheila Hazen
Rosanne Facciolo
Diane & John Kowal
Nancy & Rob Kyler
Dr. E. F. Charles & Mrs. Lorene N. LaBerge
Kelly Anne Malone*
Heather & David Morgan
Network for Good
Craig & Libby Owens
Chris Paddock & Joy Varner
John Smallwood & Mary Satterfield
Dr. Megan & Mr. Alex Schad
Craig & Evelyn Scott
Sandra & William Sibert
Amber Brister & Jim Simons
Ethel M. Smeak Fund
Carl Steidtmann
Peggy Tobias
Cynthia Tyson/The Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation
Steve Urkowitz
Kenneth Venable
Martha Walker*
Forrest Sloan & Jennifer Wayne
Diane & Kevin Wilshere
Find a full list of our supporters here.
Institutional Sponsors
Amazon Smile
Askin-Williams Charitable Fund
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Caplin Foundation
Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Google, Inc.
Network for Good
Over the Line Fund
Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation
The Evergreen Fund
The Shubert Foundation
The Termineigh Foundation
Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA)
Corporate Match
Bank of America
Markel Corporation
PHOENIX SOCIETY: A LASTING LEGACY
The Phoenix Society welcomes all people who have generously included the ASC into their estate plans and/ or as a beneficiary trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy.
Anonymous (4)
Paul G. Beers
Dr. Ralph Alan & Judy Cohen
Lawrence & Vicky C. Eicher
Dudley D. Flanders
Arthur & Mindy Kaufman
Stephen & Jo Anne Larson
Christopher & Betsy Little
Robert C. & Letty MacDonald
Lynne Turner & Robin Miller
Phil & Cheri Moran
Ethel M. Smeak
Sidney Stark, Jr.
Lawrence Weiss
Frances I. Young in honor of Sister Francis, SSMN
ASC Board of Trustees & Advisors
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2023 Lodging Partners
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