Category: Featured

We are pleased to announce that registration for Shakespeare Youth Festival LA ’25 is now open. We are tentatively announcing two plays, however, we reserve the right to change our selection, or add a new section/play to best suit the needs of our students.

If this will be your first time participating in an SYF program, please email us at speak@shakespeareyouthfestival.com to schedule an introductory meeting (phone/Zoom).

All rehearsals will be held at World City Center (3911 W Adams Blvd – just east of Crenshaw). Performances are tentatively scheduled at the Hudson Theatre (6539 Santa Monica Blvd).

Tuition for each participant is $750. 
Finances should never be a barrier to participation – we encourage you to apply for Financial Aid. If you have received financial aid in the past, please email us for details on continuing.

COMEDY OF ERRORS

Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is a fast-paced play about the mix-ups that happen when two sets of identical twins who were separated at birth end up in the same city without realizing it. This leads to all sorts of misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and utter chaos, until all is resolved in the happiest of happy endings!.

For grades 3 through 8 (in Fall 2025)

REHEARSALS
Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm
First rehearsal – Saturday, October 18
No rehearsal Thanksgiving weekend
Winter Break – December 27 and January 3
Retreat – Sunday, February 22 (extended afternoon rehearsal)
Techs (4:30 to 7:30 pm)-
Tuesday, March 3
Thursday, March 5
Tuesday, March 10
Thursday, March 12

PERFORMANCES
Saturday, March 14 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 15 at 2 pm

Saturday, March 21 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 22 at 2 pm

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CYMBELINE

Can’t decide which is your favorite Shakespearean plot device? Try Cymbeline – it’s got them all! Overpowering parents and rebellious children; mistaken identities and secret marriages; exile and false accusations; long-lost siblings; potions, prophecies, and divine intervention; murder, war, poison … and another happy ending that ties up ALL the loose ends!

For grades 8 through 12 (in Fall 2025)

REHEARSALS
Saturdays from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
First rehearsal – Saturday, October 11
No rehearsal Thanksgiving weekend
Winter Break – December 27 and January 3
Retreat – Sunday, February 8 (extended afternoon rehearsal)
Techs (4:30 to 7:30 pm):
Wednesday, February 18
Friday, February 20
Monday, February 23
Wednesday, February 25

PERFORMANCES
Saturday, February 28 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 1 at 5 pm

Saturday, March 7 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 8 at 5 pm

We are excited to announce our new season – three plays, to be presented in March of 2025, at the beautiful Hudson Theatre Backstage (6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038). The Box Office is now open – reserve your tickets today!

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Meet Proteus and Valentine in the OG “bro-mantic comedy.”

Saturday, March 8 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 9 at 2 pm

Saturday, March 15 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 16 at 2 pm

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA

Set against the backdrop of post-apocalyptic LA, it’s the anti-Romeo & Juliet …

Saturday, March 22 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 23 at 5 pm

Saturday, March 29 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 30 at 5 pm

AS YOU LIKE IT

Cross-dressing women, a professional “fool,” and mass weddings galore.

Saturday, March 22 at 1 pm
Sunday, March 23 at 1 pm

Saturday, March 29 at 1 pm
Sunday, March 30 at 1 pm

We are excited to announce openings in our production of “As You Like It.”. If this will be your first time participating in a class, workshop, or production, please email us at speak@shakespeareyouthfestival.com to schedule an introductory meeting (phone/Zoom).

All rehearsals will be held at World City Center (3911 W Adams Blvd – just east of Crenshaw). Performance venue details are still being finalized, and will be announced before rehearsals begin.

Tuition for each participant is $700.
Finances should never be a barrier to participation – you may apply here: Financial Aid. If you have received financial aid in the past, please email us for details on continuing.

AS YOU LIKE IT

Evil Duke Frederick is not a nice guy. After a rigged wrestling match goes sour, Rosalind and friends escape the rigidity and nastiness of the cruel city, where they were the victims of arbitrary and unfair rules, for the Forest of Arden, where “Do Unto Others” is the law of the land, and where a cast of eccentric characters are all just trying to find someone to love.

READ A SYNOPSIS

For grades 3 through 8

REHEARSALS
Saturdays from 3 pm to 5 pm
First rehearsal – Saturday, October 12
No rehearsal Thanksgiving weekend
Winter Break – December 21 and 28
Retreat – Sunday, March 2 (extended afternoon rehearsal)
Techs (4:30 to 7:30 pm)-
Tuesday, March 18
Thursday, March 20
Tuesday, March 25
Thursday, March 27

PERFORMANCES
Saturday, March 29 at 1 pm
Sunday, March 30 at 1 pm

Saturday, April 5 at 2 pm
Sunday, April 6 at 2 pm

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ONE WEEKEND ONLY!! Join us for Ren Week ’24 and our production of Love’s Labours Lost!

Friday, July 26 at 6 pm
Saturday, July 27 at 4 pm

Village Green
5300 Obama Blvd
Enter at Cloverdale and Obama Blvd, and park near Court 12, then follow the SYF signs to the West Green.
(https://maps.app.goo.gl/EbJPZDX7p1TnZLfr7)

Please bring chairs or blankets for seating.

No reservations needed!!

WHAT IS RENAISSANCE WEEK?

We are delighted to present our 3rd Annual Renaissance Week (aka “Ren Week”) production, inspired by a tradition at Staunton, Virginia’s American Shakespeare Center, where actors gather to explore a play according to the staging conditions in Shakespeare’s day. The following are some of the guiding principals of our process:

Natural Light
Shakespeare’s actors rehearsed and performed outdoors, in daylight. This means that the actors can see the audience, making you an important part of the performance.

Short rehearsal periods
Plays were generally mounted with just a few rehearsals; the actors would come to the first rehearsal already knowing their lines. Audiences loved coming to the early performances, knowing that the production was still being crafted.

No directors
Crafting the production was a collaborative effort, by a group of theatre artists who, like us, had worked together many times, and shared a history.

No designers
Actors devised their own costumes from what was on-hand – back then, it was often discarded clothing from their supporting patrons!!

Our 2023 in review …

After 18 years of growth and expansion, we have had a rich and notable year of milestones in 2023. 

After moving online during COVID, it was glorious to be together again in 2022 to present The Winter’s Tale and Much Ado about Nothing, and we continued to regain our momentum with Shakespeare Youth Festival LA ‘23.

SHAKESPEARE YOUTH FESTIVAL 2023

Using the amphitheater at Our Lady of Bright Mount (a hidden gem in Mid-City), our teen ensemble presented a sweepingly epic production of a condensed edit of all three parts of the rarely performed Henry VI – an almost five hour show each performance!

Running alongside Henry, our younger players gave us a dark and inspired production of Macbeth, made even more evocative by our setting outside of the opulent Catholic Church. 

THE END OF AN ERA

Sadly, the end of our 2023 Festival also brought an end of an era as this was the final season for founder Blaire Baron Larsen as Artistic Director. After almost twenty years guiding the creative vision behind SYF, Blaire has taken her passion and talent across the country to Staunton, Virginia to begin a new chapter in her Shakespeare journey. Not having her in rehearsals and meetings leaves a massive hole that will never truly be filled, however, Blaire’s blood will always run through the veins of SYF and we are proud to announce that she will be joining as the first member of our newly forming Board Of Trustees. 

Although the “Bl-era” (Blaire + Era) is over, we are just getting started! Our Executive Director Julia Wyson has stepped into the role of Artistic Director to carry forward the vision of the organization. To fill her role as ED, one of our long-time teaching artists, and former manager of the Pasadena Playhouse, J. Bailey Burcham has taken the reins. Looking to the future, Julia and Bailey hope to continue the legacy of the Festival while also expanding our name to larger audiences of the greater Los Angeles community. 

SUMMER WITH SHAKESPEARE YOUTH FESTIVAL

This past summer we spent three weeks in Shakespeare Intensive heaven at Kenneth Hahn Park – two of those weeks were spent with our younger tragedians (mostly new to SYF) building the basics, while our final week featured our high school students, who, in just five magical days, directed and performed an extraordinary production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Performed under a massive “wedding” tree at the idyllic Village Green, our “Renaissance Run” (replicating as closely as possible the norms of the original productions in Shakespeare’s day) was a difficult and rewarding process that we will be continuing in future summers. 

SHAKESPEARE YOUTH FESTIVAL 2024

Since September we’ve been focused on our 2024 festival to be presented at the historic Hudson Theater Backstage in Hollywood – home to many theatrical world premieres, as well as Comedy Central stand-up specials. We hope you will join us – you can find performance details here!!

MOVING FORWARD

January will see us expanding our circle even further, as we return to our community outreach! We are establishing partnerships with local libraries and LAUSD schools to continue our goal of giving access to the magic of Shakespeare to every child in our city. 

We are fortunate to have a loyal staff of extraordinary teaching artists – Kila Packett, Esdras Toussaint, Anniwaa Buachie, and Stephanie Ferrell have all been with us for over a decade and although they may step away periodically to pursue other professional endeavors, they maintain roles within the festival and will always have an artistic home with us. We’ve also added two new teaching artists to our rolodex of talent – we welcome Alessandra Mañon and Anja Racíc to the 2024 season. 

The Future is bright for SYF. There is potential for us to travel again in Summer 2024 to spread the joy of theatre and the stories of Shakespeare across the globe. Many of our alumni have expressed interest in our goal to present Alumni Shows, possibly at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, allowing our past players to return to our stage. 

Here’s where you come in – It is time to rebuild our infrastructure to support the more than 1,000 young artists we will work with in the coming years – your donation can help us do that! Please help us continue our mission to make the magic of theater and Shakespeare accessible to all!

With much love, and best wishes for a spectacular 2024!

Julia & Bailey

PS. Interested in helping Shakespeare Youth Festival in other ways? Check out our Wish List!!

We are excited to announce our new season – three plays, to be presented in March of 2024, at the beautiful Hudson Theatre Backstage (6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038). The Box Office will open at the beginning of February – hope to see you in the audience!!

JULIUS CAESAR

What makes a tyrant? And who is the hero and who is the villain?

Saturday, March 2 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 3 at 2 pm

Saturday, March 9 at 1 pm
Sunday, March 10 at 1 pm

RICHARD II

Man vs. Martyr – the downfall of an insecure king …

Saturday, March 9 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 10 at 5 pm

Saturday, March 16 at 5 pm
Sunday, March 17 at 5 pm

THE TEMPEST

Marauders meet Magic – shipwreck and sorcery on an island of dreams!!

Saturday, March 16 at 1 pm
Sunday, March 17 at 1 pm

Saturday, March 23 at 2 pm
Sunday, March 24 at 2 pm