Grounded in the works of Shakespeare, we enrich communities through accessible, inclusive, professional theatre experiences that educate, inspire, and entertain diverse audiences.
Our Vision:
To use Shakespeare’s truths and the power of the arts to transform lives. Shakespeare belongs to everyone.
About Us:
Founded in 1949 as the Carriage House Players, Kentucky Shakespeare serves our community and region through the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, education programs in schools, public performances, and community outreach. 2024 marks the 64th season of the free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. As the most comprehensive in-school arts education provider in Kentucky, Kentucky Shakespeare regularly tours to KY, IN, OH, NY, TN, and SC and serves students with interactive educational programming directly tied to academic standards, helping impact student achievement. Our many community programs explore conflict resolution, empathy building, and communication in a range of settings from preschools to senior centers.
Kentucky Shakespeare has been recognized by the Folger Library and the Kentucky Humanities Council for exemplary programming, is a multiyear recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities program, and is a past recipient of the Kentucky Governor’s Award in the Arts. Kentucky Shakespeare has been awarded multiple LEO Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards, Broadway World Louisville Regional Awards, the 2015 Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Art of Vision Pyramid Award, the 2017 Louisville Awards in the Arts Bobby Petrino Family Foundation Arts Impact Award, and the 2019 Arts for All Kentucky Community Partner Award for arts inclusion work with people with disabilities.
