The mission of The Saratoga Shakespeare Company is to enrich the summer cultural life for the residents and visitors of New York’s Capital Region through the presentation of free, accessible, professional Shakespeare productions. From its proud debut in 2000 with Twelfth Night, and highly acclaimed interpretations of The Merry Wives of Windsor (2013) and Macbeth (2014), through last season’s hilar
ious Love’s Labour’s Lost, and wonderfully theatrical Shipwrecked!, the Company lives up to its mission to bring the classical works of William Shakespeare and others to life. Saratoga Shakespeare Company is a proud member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Saratoga is home to the world famous Saratoga Racetrack – the oldest continuously operating sports facility in North America – and for five weeks of the year, all eyes in the racing world are on Saratoga. After winning the Triple Crown last year, American Pharoah raced here. We perform less than a mile from this exciting and world-famous venue in Historic Congress Park coinciding with the yearly meet. Theater professionals in the community created this company to serve the need for free, professional outdoor Shakespeare. We had a vision of an accessible event that would bring together people of all ages and levels of exposure to theater, with no limitations to the economically disadvantaged or physically challenged. No other free, professional venue for live productions of Shakespeare exists in the Capital Region, and Historic Congress Park is the ideal venue. It is accessible, centrally located in the heart of Saratoga Springs, and it contains a site ideal for outdoor theater. Thanks to superior sound system, we can accommodate over 1,000 guests per show. Our productions employ professional directors, designers, and actors, with the cooperation of community volunteers in all areas. Typically, and dependent on weather conditions, 6,000 to 8,000 people come to see our productions each year – a larger audience for a single production than any other professional theatre in our area. An apprentice program helps aspiring theater professionals bridge the gap between training and the world of work.
