Goals & Vision

Goals of NapaShakes

▪ to create a professional year-round regional theatre bringing the world’s greatest professional actors, directors, and theatre companies to the Napa Valley to perform Shakespeare and other classical works;

▪ to establish Napa Valley as a major destination for professional classical theatre, with the highest-quality performances on par with the Valley’s culinary, wine, resort and scenic attractions;

▪ to foster an understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s works, through interactive educational and community outreach programs benefitting residents, students and visitors;

▪ to partner with local arts, cultural and educational organizations, including film and music festivals, theatres, schools and libraries;

▪ to utilize the spectacularly sited indoor and outdoor performance venues located throughout
the Napa Valley as inspiration for visiting artists, writers and theatre professionals;

▪ to encourage musicians, visual artists, dancers, and choreographers to collaborate with theatre artists to create new works based on or inspired by Shakespeare;

▪ to utilize new technologies and social media to keep Shakespeare’s works vibrant and relevant;

▪ to pair exceptional theatrical performance with the region’s extraordinary food, wine and scenery, to showcase Shakespeare in a way that excites all the senses while nourishing the soul;

▪  to establish NapaShakes as a brand synonymous with artistic excellence, financial stability and long-term sustainability, adding jobs and revenue to the local economy.
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Visions of NapaShakes 

Rapt audiences of cultured and sophisticated theater lovers, along with those seeing Shakespeare for the first time, are drawn from local towns and faraway places to share the thrill of live performance.

Families picnic on sun-drenched winery lawns, while revelers sip handmade wines paired with local breads and cheeses, enjoying an afternoon performance of Shakespeare, Shaw or Stoppard.

Inspiring educators send students on a linguistic treasure-hunt, challenging them to find the many ways in which Shakespeare’s writing has been incorporated into popular culture and language.

The community comes together to read Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy aloud simultaneously, capturing the event on social media and transforming the entire Napa Valley into a living theater.

NapaShakes earns a reputation for excellence equal to Napa Valley’s celebrated food and wine, building an audience as hungry for world-class theater as it is thirsty for the Valley’s legendary Cabernets.

A renowned Shakespearean actor spends an afternoon with an equally-respected winemaker, vintner or chef, comparing their differing artistic passions while finding common commitment to their craft.

Cult winemakers and celebrated chefs create special dishes and design wines inspired by the dramatic themes of the plays, inviting audiences to experience Shakespeare with all their senses.

Inspired artists, including a bluegrass group and folk singer, a classical composer, a multimedia visual artist, and an innovative choreographer, use Shakespeare as a jumping-off point for expression.

Renowned classical theater companies visit from around the country and the world to extend their existing productions, create new ones, and share their knowledge and passion for Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s tragic kings & queens come to life in the courtyard of a spectacular medieval castle for a select group of wine club members, who mingle with performers and creators post-performance.

Theater professionals, from acclaimed actors, directors, designers and dramaturges, to the journeyman performers who preserve Shakespeare in repertory, gather to be challenged, inspired, and spoiled rotten, Napa Valley-style.

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