Santa Cruz Shakespeare Returns To In-Person Performances In July

SANTA CRUZ, CA – A year after its summer performances were canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, Santa Cruz Shakespeare announced that it will return in-person to DeLaveaga Park beginning in mid-July.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare is a professional theater company with deep ties to the community and Santa Cruz County for the past 40 years. Tickets for the 2021 season will go on sale June 1 and performances will take place at Audrey Stanley Grove (The Grove) at DeLeveaga Park, which is located at 855 Branciforte Dr. in Santa Cruz.

The season will run from July 20-Aug. 29 and members will have early access to tickets, preferred seating and discounts for the performances, which will run two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

“We are thrilled to bring Shakespeare and other critically acclaimed contemporary productions back to The Grove at DeLaveaga Park this summer,” Managing Director Larry Mabrey said in a news release. "We’ve used the time since last summer’s canceled season to plan some of the most modern and culturally relevant productions of our times, bringing the community together in an intimate setting for reflection on the parallels of recent societal events and encourage deeper conversations for all ages.”

Company officials announced Tuesday that this year’s performances will include:

“RII” by Jessica Kubzansky

The story that sets England’s Wars of the Roses in motion, Kubzansky’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II tells the story of that king’s ill-fated reign using just three actors. This exploration of divine right, capricious leadership and bloody insurrection is packed with contemporary political relevance. A critic’s choice pick when it premiered at the Boston Court theatre in Los Angeles, Charles McNulty, critic for the Los Angeles Times, called the play a “feat of ingenious stagecraft.”

“The Agitators” by Mat Smart

This play tells the story of Fredrick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony. Over the 45 volatile years they knew one another, they were friends, allies, and adversaries. Their hopes and dreams for equality brought them to common ground and political battlefields. As agitators, they were not content to let either our nation or each other rest in complacency, and their respective fights for racial justice and gender equity continue to this day.

With pandemic safety measures in place, Santa Cruz Shakespeare has implemented numerous COVID-19 safety protocols for the summer season, including a revised seating layout that ensures adequate space and comfort for attendees. Santa Cruz Shakespeare will also offer its August performances on a virtual basis as they will be live-streamed.

Tickets for the 2021 Summer Season can be purchased at santacruzshakespeare.org/season-2021or by calling the box office at (831) 460-6399.