Art Serving Community

The Woodward Shakespeare Festival began as the conception of S. Eric Day and Brandon Weis, two local actors who, in the fall of 2001, saw the potential for a season of plays produced outdoors in a festival environment, and that would be free and accessible to all.

By 2004, Christien Sweeney had come aboard, and Day and Sweeney helmed the productions of the first two seasons: Much Ado About Nothing & Romeo and Juliet (2005), and A Midsummer Night's Dream & Macbeth (2006). By 2007, WSF had become a non-profit organization in the public trust and the summer festival averaged 10,000 patrons each year.

The Woodward Shakespeare Festival has continued its commitment to Day's and Weis' original conception, producing two plays a year through 2010:
 
2007: Othello & The Taming of the Shrew
2008: Twelfth Night & Hamlet
2009: As You Like It & Richard III
2010: The Merchant of Venice & King Lear

In 2011, WSF presented The Comedy of Errors, incorporated an American classic, Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and reprised it's first season hit, Romeo and Juliet.

2012 will see us launch our 8th Season with a new Executive Producer and an Artistic Team to help guide the way as we present The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Henry V.

WSF thanks the many people who continue to make us successful: the casts and crews, the audiences, our patrons, the critics, our corporate sponsors and community partners. Your enthusiasm for our labors and your passion for our mission are the inspiration for all that we do and all that we aspire to do.