The Local Lens: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival Continues to Innovate, Inspire, and Connect

Guest ‘Local Lens’ Contributor and IVCBA Member: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare

Few organizations demonstrate the power of arts, culture, and community connection quite like the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. While audiences flock to Sand Harbor each summer for world-class performances, the Festival’s impact extends far beyond the stage, fostering accessibility, innovation, and partnerships that strengthen the broader community.

Now in its 54^th Season, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has once again captivated audiences with its Mainstage productions of Macbeth and The Heart of Robin Hood. In a recent Reno News & Review feature, reviewer Jessica Santina described the production of Macbeth as a masterful achievement, praising its immersive atmosphere, striking visual design, and exceptional performances. She noted how the production transforms the natural beauty of Tahoe into part of the storytelling experience, transporting audiences from a peaceful summer evening to Shakespeare’s dark and foreboding Scotland. Our Producing Artistic Director, Sara Bruner, and her team have crafted a theatrical experience where every element, from lighting and music to costume and set design, contributes to the emotional intensity of the story. Don’t miss this year’s amazing performances and buy your tickets here or by calling our Box Office Sun-Sat 8:00am-5:00pm at 775-832-1616.

Photo Caption and credit: Macbeth(actor, Jeffery C. Hawkins) and Lady Macbeth(actor, Cassandra Bissell) reunite in the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival production of Macbeth at Sand Harbor, running through August 23^rd (Photo by Strotz Photography)

Building Community Beyond the Stage

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s commitment to community engagement is equally evident in our newest partnerships with Liberty Dogs and Keep Tahoe Blue. This season we created opportunities for service dogs in training and their handlers to attend performances, providing critical real-world exposure while supporting the development of future service animals. The partnership highlights our dedication to accessibility and inclusion while creating opportunities to raise awareness for an organization like Liberty Dogs, making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.  

We love our venue located at Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park and saw an opportunity to help be stewards of the lake. For the first time, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival has partnered with Keep Tahoe Blue to create our own Tahoe Blue Crew: Keep Shakespeare Blue.  If you are already a volunteer with us, be sure to join our Tahoe Blue Crew.  On July 5^th, we had nine dedicated volunteers join us for our first Keep Shakespeare Blue clean-up and collected 70lbs of trash! Tahoe Blue Crew volunteer shifts are available on Sundays & Thursdays at our venue from 5pm-7:30pm. We have another major clean-up on Aug 13 from 9am-11am. Learn more about Volunteering with the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival here.

Photo Caption: Keep Shakespeare Blue Clean-up on July 5^th with our volunteers L to R: Barbara Stonich, Bob Southern, Kathy Southern

 Young Shakespeare Performances July 20-Aug 3 and Final Family Night Aug. 9^thThe Heart of Robin Hood

The D.G. Menchetti Education Programs, InterACT and Young Shakespeare, allow us to bring Shakespeare and the performing arts to the youth of our region year-round. InterACT, goes into schools every year and creates a unique curriculum with teachers for students K-12. Every summer, our Young Shakespeare workshop creates an interactive youth adaptation of our Mainstage Shakespeare play with a mix of professional paid actors and school-age performers. This year, you can catch an hour-long, family-friendly, and FREE performance of Macbeth at a local library or partner location near you. Get Showtimes and more information here. 

If you missed our first two Family Nights, fret not! We have our final Family Night on Aug. 9 for The Heart of Robin Hood. We will be inviting the young and young at heart to face painting, Robin Hood hat making, and other kid-friendly activities before the show. The fun starts at 6pm on Sunday, Aug. 9. The evening’s activities are hosted by our Platinum Sponsor, Tahoe Expedition Academy, who will also have representatives present and information available about their curriculum and programs for students K-12.

A Lasting Impact

Whether through our critically acclaimed productions, community partnerships, or education programs that reimagine how Shakespeare is experienced, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival continues to demonstrate the important role arts organizations play in building vibrant communities. If you would like to partner with the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, please reach out to our Community Engagement Manager, Jessica Vela, at Jessica@LakeTahoeShakespeare.com

Learn more about our Donor Member benefits here.

Photo Caption: Patty Jansen, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival Board Chair, Jenny Molinelli and son, Jasper, Puppy Outreach Coordinator for Liberty Dogs, Kaci Janson and all their incredible Service Dogs in Training at the July 21^st performance of Macbeth.