Advertise with the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA

Print program sponsorships available year-round

Each season, more than 12,000 audience members step into the Blackfriars Playhouse, home of the American Shakespeare Center in downtown Staunton. Over four seasons annually, ASC welcomes more than 40,000 patrons to experience Shakespeare’s plays, new works, and classic stories performed in repertory.

Every audience member receives a printed program, a full-color keepsake that includes cast lists, director notes, and your business’s message. Sponsoring a print ad is a meaningful way to reach a loyal and arts-minded audience while supporting live theatre and Staunton’s downtown economy.

Patrons line up outside the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, waiting to attend a live performance at the American Shakespeare Center. Caption reads:Patrons line up outside the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA. Photo by October Grace Media.

Why Sponsor a Show Program?

  • Programs are distributed at every performance

  • More than 40,000 audience impressions annually

  • Full-color, professionally designed print format

  • High readership and strong retention among patrons

  • Audiences include locals, tourists, students, and families

  • Sponsorship directly supports ASC’s nonprofit mission and year-round programming

Sponsorship Options

Your ad appears in every printed program for the entire season, distributed to thousands of audience members at performances inside the Blackfriars Playhouse.

Ad Size Dimensions Rate
1/8 Page 2″ x 2.5″ $175
1/4 Page 4.25″ x 2.75″ $350
1/2 Page 5.5″ x 4.25″ $500
Full Page 5.5″ x 8.5″ $1000
Back Cover 5.5″ x 8.5″ $2000

An audience member holds the American Shakespeare Center’s printed show program for the 2024 Summer Season while seated inside the Blackfriars Playhouse. Caption reads: The American Shakespeare Center's 2024 Summer Season Program. Photo by October Grace Media.

Now Booking: Fall 2025 Sponsorships

Season Dates: August 28 – November 16, 2025
Productions:

  • Romeo & Juliet

  • The Two Gentlemen of Verona

  • The Pirate Ballad of BONNY & READ

Reservation Deadline: August 5, 2025

Download Sponsorship Packet (PDF)

student matinee american shakespeare center

(Cordell Cole in ROMEO AND JULIET. Photo by Lindsey Walters. )

 

Who You’ll Reach

Our audiences are as diverse and dynamic as our repertory:

  • Staunton locals and returning subscribers

  • Visitors from Washington DC, Virginia, and the Mid-Atlantic

  • Tourists exploring the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains

  • Families, college students, and school groups

  • Arts patrons who shop, dine, and stay downtown

ASC patrons care deeply about the experiences they support—and the businesses that support those experiences.

What Your Sponsorship Supports

Your ad sponsorship helps sustain:

  • Professional repertory theatre performed in a unique historically inspired venue

  • School matinees, public workshops, and family-friendly programming

  • Educational access through Pay-What-You-Will performances and student discounts

  • Employment for artists, technicians, and staff in Staunton

Your sponsorship helps bring stories to life while keeping the Blackfriars Playhouse thriving.

Work with Camille Dierksheide

Camille Dierksheide is the Sponsorship Manager and member of the Patron Loylaty Team at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA.

Sponsorship & Institutional Giving Manager

Camille Dierksheide brings a love of the arts, a passion for partnership, and a wide range of experience to her role at ASC. She has worked in opera company management, democracy advocacy in Eastern Europe, small business development, and special event production. Her background also includes a professional culinary degree and a degree in international affairs.

She is a classically trained lyric soprano who has performed in community and professional productions of The Sound of Music, Madama Butterfly, Dido and Aeneas, and more. Locally, she is also the founder of the Whimsically Witchy Halloween Fundraiser supporting Staunton City fine arts programs and serves as Box Office Manager for the Staunton Music Festival.

Camille believes deeply in the power of community and the arts. When you reach out, she’ll help you find the right sponsorship fit and make sure your business feels genuinely connected to the story we share on stage.

Email Camille to Start Your Partnership

Community Partnerships at ASC

At the American Shakespeare Center, sponsorship is about more than visibility—it’s about connection. We’re proud to collaborate with local organizations, schools, and nonprofits to support shared missions and strengthen our Staunton community.

From mental health initiatives to education access, our partnerships create space for dialogue, creativity, and care through the arts. These collaborations reflect our belief that theatre can be a catalyst for positive change.

Recent Community Collaborators:

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

  • Mental Health America of Augusta (MHA-A)

  • Shenandoah LGBTQ+ (ShenLGBTQ)

  • The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library

  • RISE

  • Valley Mission

  • Augusta County Public Schools

  • Valley Children’s Advocacy Center (VCAC)

If you’re interested in exploring a community partnership or a sponsorship opportunity that aligns with your mission, Camille would love to connect.

Ready to Get Started?

Let’s put your message in the spotlight, right alongside the stories we share on stage.

Email Camille to Start Your Partnership