Mission

The Southern Shakespeare Company (SSC), a professional, non-profit theatre company with a year-round education mission, seeks to make Shakespeare fun and accessible to a diverse audience, cultivate an appreciation of the arts, train theatre artists, and bring free Shakespeare to Cascades Park every spring.

a full audience at the Cascades Park amphitheater during a Southern Shakespeare Company performance

Photo credit: Bob O’Lary

SSC offers Tallahassee’s ONLY Shakespeare in the Park Festival to beautiful downtown Cascades Park, completely FREE. Our Festival includes local organizations and vendors complete with shopping and dining options for visitors. Entertainment is provided by both our professional and junior Shakespeare performance troupe, The Bardlings.

As part of our year-round education mission, SSC offers in-school workshops led by our educators, as well as performances and supplemental educational content, worksheets and digital/online programming.

SSC’s Shakespeare Man visits local schools for fun and interactive lessons that are a great way for students to learn about Shakespeare’s life and works.

The Bardlings are SSC’s junior performance troupe. This acting program offers theatrical training to middle and high school students of all backgrounds.

Additional events and programs offered by the Southern Shakespeare Company include original touring productions, workshop series, Sonnet Man residencies, and summer camp programs.

elementary-aged children sit in a circle on the ground during a drama game

Photo credit: Laura Johnson

six members of The Bardlings pose in costume backstage at the Cascades Park amphitheater

Photo credit: Bob O’Lary

the cast of Romeo and Juliet join hands backstage at the Cascades Park amphitheater

Photo credit: Bob O’Lary

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It [SSC] brings free Shakespeare to the folks of Tallahassee and works in our schools to make Shakespeare understandable to our kids. Support Southern Shakespeare!

Marian Reid

Former SSC Board Member

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These folks keep the Bard cool and top of mind! Can’t wait to work with them again!

Mike Goldstein

Owner Capital City Pedicabs LLC

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Southern Shakes doesn’t just put on plays – they’re building a community that understands all of the benefits that theater provides to our interior and exterior worlds. They are creating audiences and performers. It’s something of a long game, and they play it brilliantly.

Bob Howard

Tallahassee photographer