Left to Right: Dennis Trainor, Jr., David Gow, Ashley McCauley Moore, Javier David, L. James, Madeleine Rose Maggio, Emma Geer, Kristofer Wilson and Sharmarke Yusuf,
The Comedy of Errors, 2024. Photo by Nile Scott Studios
WELCOME TO SEASON 2026!
Since 1978, Shakespeare & Company has cultivated deep roots in the Berkshires through critically-acclaimed performances, our awardwinning Education Program, and the internationally recognized Center for Actor Training.
As we enter our 49th season, we’re proud to offer a dynamic range of underwriting opportunities in support of our productions and special events. We invite you to explore the titles, playwrights, and themes we’ve chosen, and to consider underwriting a production that resonates with you.
FULL SEASON 2026
As our distinguished Season Benefactor, you will be acknowledged as Shakespeare & Company’s Exclusive Season 2026 Underwriter in all promotional materials for productions including plays, readings, and special events throughout the year.
Underwriting Opportunity: $100,000
FIREFLIES
by Matthew Barber
Directed by Daniela Varon
JUNE 19–JULY 19
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Retired schoolteacher Eleanor Bannister lives alone, settled into her routines and secure in her standing as the town’s most respected woman. Written by the author of Enchanted April, Fireflies is an unexpected tale of late-life romance and small-town gossip.
Underwriting Opportunity: $20,000
TWELFTH NIGHT
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Kate Kohler Amory
JULY 4–26
Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre Shipwrecks, disguises, and mistaken identities spark the joyful chaos of Twelfth Night, performed outdoors at one of the theaters that put us on Newsweek’s list of Top 10 Outdoor Theater Venues in the U.S.
Underwriting Opportunity: $50,000
Outdoor Theater
Omar Robinson, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, 2025.
Photo by Nile Scott Studios
CIRCUS & THE BARD: THE NEXT CHAPTER
Co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge & Pedro Reis
Directed by Allyn Burrows & Pedro Reis
JULY 16–26
Tina Packer Playhouse
Circus & the Bard bounces back! Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus reunite for a playful mash-up of jaw-dropping circus acts paired with Shakespeare’s characters.
Underwriting Opportunity: $20,000
SHAKE IT UP: THE REMIX
Co-created by Allyn Burrows & Jacob Ming-Trent
Directed by Allyn Burrows
JULY 29–AUGUST 2
Tina Packer Playhouse
The hit that had audiences on their feet returns— revved up and remixed. The Tina Packer Playhouse once again plays host to a mash-up of modern music and Shakespeare’s verse.
Underwriting Opportunity: $10,000
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE
by Terrence McNally
Directed by Nicole Ricciardi
JULY 30–AUGUST 23
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune tells the story of two people standing at the edge of connection: Frankie, a guarded waitress, and Johnny, an earnest short-order cook. After their first date, they find themselves in bed—and talking through the night.
Underwriting Opportunity: $25,000
HAMLET
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Ariel Bock
AUGUST 13–30
Tina Packer Playhouse
Haunted by his father’s ghost, a young prince must navigate a world of secrets, power, and betrayal, where nothing is as it appears.
Underwriting Opportunity: $25,000
Justin Durham, Circus & The Bard 2025.
Photo by Nile Scott Studios
PLAYS IN PROCESS
SEPTEMBER 1–3
Rose Footprint Theatre
The Plays in Process series returns for its fifth year, showcasing three new, developing works and offering a behind-the-scenes look at scripts as they are readied for the stage.
Underwriting Opportunity: $5,000 per show
THE NORWEGIANS
by C. Denby Swanson
Directed by James Warwick
SEPTEMBER 4–OCTOBER 4
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Set in a Minnesota bar where heartbreak is served alongside beer, The Norwegians is a sharp, surprising dark comedy about love gone wrong—and the two women who hire a pair of hitmen to deal with the men who wronged them.
Underwriting Opportunity: $25,000
CELEBRATING JEWISH PLAYS
OCTOBER 9–11
Tina Packer Playhouse
Following its successful debut in 2025, Shakespeare & Company welcomes back Celebrating Jewish Plays, featuring three readings presented over three evenings during the holiday weekend.
Underwriting Opportunity: $10,000 per show
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
DECEMBER 18–20
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Join us for our traditional, Jane Austen-inspired Winter Show: a lively, costumed reading of Pride & Prejudice based on the novel.
Underwriting Opportunity: $5,000
At Shakespeare & Company, we believe theater deepens our shared humanity when it reflects every voice and is open to all. We invite you to support our IDEA work (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) and help us expand initiatives aimed at making theater accessible to everyone who wishes to attend.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
April 23–25 | July 22–23
Shakespeare & Company presents its most robust slate of accessible programming to date with multiple open-captioned and sensory-friendly performances this season. These will be staged as part of of the Northeast Regional Tour’s Hamlet this spring, with additional sensory-friendly performances of Circus & The Bard held in July.
Underwriting Opportunity: $5,000 per show
THIRD-ANNUAL COMMUNITY DAY
SATURDAY, MAY 23
Tina Packer Playhouse & the Grounds
A free, family-friendly celebration, Community Day invites guests of all ages to enjoy performances, interactive activities, film screenings, food trucks, and opportunities to learn about nonprofit and community organizations in the Berkshires and beyond.
Underwriting Opportunity: $5,000
Left to Right: Ryann N. Murray, Abigail St. John, Jonathan Perkins, Joslyn Eaddy Meléndez and Kirsten Mulrenan, Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, Hamlet, 2026.
Photo by Katie McKellick
Left to Right: Stephanie Neuerburg, Savanna Padilla, Ptah Garvin, Naire Poole, Cameron Davis, Travis Ascione and JoJo McDonald, Sensory-friendly performance of Romeo and Juliet, 2023.
Photo by Katie McKellick
UNDERWRITING BENEFITS
Our Season 2026 production underwriters receive an array of benefits in thanks for their support. These include:
• Recognition in our promotional materials*
° The Season 2026 digital and printed brochure
° The Season 2026 playbill
° Flat-screen lobby TVs in the Tina Packer Playhouse and Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
° Flyers and posters placed across the region
° Show programs
° Show and ticketing web pages at shakespeare.org
° Weekly eblasts
° Social media promotional posts
• Exclusive invitations to table reads, dress rehearsals, and other special events
• Pre-show cocktails with Artistic Director Allyn Burrows on opening night
• A framed production poster, signed by the cast, crew, director, and Artistic Director
• Reserved parking during both evening and matinee shows
• 10 complimentary tickets during the run of the production
For further benefits extended to the full-season underwriter, call 413.637.1199, ext. 180, or email sgorey@shakespeare.org.
If you are interested in a partial underwriting opportunity, please contact Sunie Gorey for a detailed list of associated benefits.
* The deadline for inclusion in the Season 2026 brochure and playbill is April 1.
Left to Right: Caitlin Rose, Rory Hammond, Luke Haskell, Juan Luis Acevedo, Timothy Oh, Ashley McCauley Moore, Erin O'Connor, Rickey Watson, Jr and Madeleine Rose Maggio,
