A not for profit, registered charity incorporated in 1985, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival Inc. continues to provide exciting contemporary and traditional productions of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Under the artistic direction of Mark von Eschen, two full-length plays are performed in repertory by professional artists, in large tents on the banks of the beautiful South Saskatchewan River in the heart of Saskatoon. The festival runs from the first week in July until mid August.  Matinees are performed during certain week-days and all week-ends. See our show schedule for detailed information.
Each season, our barren riverbank perch is amazingly transformed into a summer cultural paradise combining mainstage performances with numerous festive activities. The month of May will see the raising of our mainstage tent, with its 282 seat capacity, along with our smaller tent, affectionately known as the Billy Tent.  During the month of June, the energetic activity of crew and cast prepare the site and rehearse in great anticipation of the season's opening.  Our site also features Sir Toby’s Tavern and Riverside Deck – the only riverside tavern in Saskatoon.

In addition to performances taking place on the mainstage, companion activities such as Medieval Feasts, workshops, tours, art displays, special matinees and the Community Stage offer great variety for our patrons. Our Community Stage is Saskatoon’s only summer-long free performance venue for emerging local artists, community groups and individuals; providing valuable public exposure and recognition not readily available elsewhere.  

Production History

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Mandate

Vision: To make the experience of Shakespeare enriching and accessible to all.

Mission: To mount professional productions of plays by William Shakespeare and other related works, and to celebrate the skills and talents of Saskatchewan artists, in a manner accessible to all.

Principles:

• To maintain our identity as a summer festival while exploring other venues for performance
• To be professional
• To employ local artists
• To maintain fiscal responsibility
• To be accessible
• To provide opportunities for other local performers
• To recognize the educational opportunities and benefits that Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan can provide.

Artistic Vision

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan holds a special place in our community as a steward of Shakespeare’s great works and as an advocate that recognizes and develops the great artistic potential we have in our local talent pool. We enhance the appreciation of Shakespeare’s plays, live theatre and other arts in our community and support the development of Saskatchewan artists. A great arts community is fostered when local artists have opportunity increase skills and grow with experience.

Shakespeare was an entertainer for all people and our productions must be accessible to all, not performances solely for those with advanced training or education. However, we also realize that great entertainment does not preclude intellectual depth and follow the advice offered by Shakespeare through Hamlet’s direction to the Players:

Now this overdone, or come tardy off, though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of the which one must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. (III ii)

Shakespeare’s stories are rich expressions of self and society and are timeless creations that have a great deal of elasticity for the theatre artist as “story teller.” Our approach to his plays, therefore, can be as ageless as his writing; at times choosing to update the setting and characters to a time that resonates more clearly with today’s audience; at other times choosing the unencumbered beauty of the original setting when contemporary adaptations would place much strain on the basic elements of character and story telling.

Many people have a pre-conceived idea that Shakespeare is difficult to understand and that his language can be a barrier to actively engaging in the plays. We strive for clarity in all aspects of story telling: clear plot development, well-defined characters and clear costuming choices leading to a richer understanding for all in the audience and breaking down barriers to participation. Understanding the deeper ideas in Shakespeare’s text can only grow from an understanding of story.

To grow as artists and to enable our community to grow with us, we must fulfill our desire and the responsibility to delve into the complete canon of Shakespeare’s work, uncovering and exploring his lesser-known plays despite their lack of popularity. Also, by investigating the work of Shakespeare’s contemporaries or modern reinterpretations, we create opportunities to understand different facets of Shakespeare’s work.

Our tent, with its lack of theatre machinery, reflects the Elizabethan stage. We embrace that shortfall as a windfall. It forces us to rely on Shakespeare’s language to create his magical scenography and capitalize on the intimacy of the actor-audience relationship, which is the vital lifeblood of our theatre. As in Shakespeare’s day, the visual weight of the Production Design will rest on costuming rather than scenery.

We realize the great educational benefit we can provide to youth and others through production of Shakespeare’s plays and associated activities.er Shakespeare provides the foundation for much of Western literature, and by giving opportunity to see his plays performed live by professional artists we open the door to a greater understanding of theatre and much other literature. It is imperative that we continue striving to enrich the lives of our community through high-quality productions and create opportunities to disseminate our collective learning through workshops and other educational experiences.

It is important that the “Saskatchewan” in Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan remains strong. The primary artists who play our stage must be from Saskatchewan. The stories we tell are for all Saskatchewan people and the manner in which we tell those stories reflects the Saskatchewan character: hard working, practical people who favour common sense over extravagance. And of course, we must always remain connected to the South Saskatchewan River.