The San Francisco Shakespeare Company have been performing “Free Shakespeare in the Park” since 1983. It is now one of the major free Shakespeare programs in the nation. Produced every year in San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Cupertino, and San Mateo from July through September, Free Shakespeare in the Park provides an opportunity for everyone to see high quality, professional theater free of charge.

Another of the company’s innovative and altruistic annual events is Midnight Shakespeare. Teams of inner-city youth and professional theater instructors create a wonderful alternative learning opportunity. Specifically targeting under-served neighborhoods, students work in an ensemble atmosphere to strengthen verbal and written communication skills while building an appreciation for technique, discipline and sacrifice - all necessary ingredients for achievement.

The Shakespeare Festival partners with community organizations like the East Bay Conservation Corps, the South Side Community Center of San Jose, and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.

Students in the 10-week program discover and examine the world of Shakespeare, and perform an abridged Shakespeare play using their own life experiences to create fully developed characters. This approach stimulates imagination, engages intellect and builds confidence. Past performances have included: Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, A Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and Othello.

The folks over at the SF Shakespeare company were kind enough to send me some video footage from their production of “Twelfth Night” at the East Bay Conservation Corps in 2004. In the future I will be posting more excerpts from this show. Here is a link to an open source version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night written in 1599.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

If you need assistance posting a video or audio story relating to Oakland please feel free to contact me: seamus at theorganiccity dot com