Shakespeare & Company

Lenox, United States

4.5

Closed now

8 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 413-637-1199
Website:
www.shakespeare.org
Address:
70 Kemble St, Lenox, MA, 01240
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.5 miLenox
0.8 miLenox (Walker @ Rt. 7)
2.3 miPrice Chopper
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Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Lenox) 15:44 Thursday, 5 June 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 7:30 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 7:30 pm

Description

Specialties

Shakespeare & Company aspires to create a theatre of unprecedented excellence rooted in the classical ideals of inquiry, balance and harmony; a company that performs as the Elizabethans did — in love with poetry, physical prowess and the mysteries of the universe. With a core of over 150 artists, the company performs Shakespeare, generating opportunities for collaboration between actors, directors and designers of all races, nationalities and backgrounds. Shakespeare & Company provides original, in-​depth, classical training and performance methods. Shakespeare & Company also develops and produces new plays of social and political significance. Shakespeare & Company’s education programs inspire a new generation of students and scholars to discover the resonance of Shakespeare’s truths in the everyday world, demonstrating the influence that classical theatre can have within a community.

History

Established in 1978.

Located in The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Shakespeare & Company is one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in the country, founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. The Company develops and performs Shakespeare, classics, contemporary, and new plays of social and political significance, generating opportunities for collaboration between actors, directors and designers of all races, nationalities and backgrounds. Shakespeare & Company embraces the core values of Shakespeare’s work: collaboration, commitment to language, visceral experience and classical ideals, expressed with physical prowess and an embodied contemporary voice. The Company offers one of the most extensive actor training programs by a regional theatre in the country. Shakespeare & Company is also home to an award-​winning and nationally recognized theatre-​in-​education program, one of the largest the Northeast; it reaches more than 45,000 students annually with innovative performances, workshops and residencies.

Meet the Manager

Tony S.

Manager

Tony Simotes is the Artistic Director and a founding member of Shakespeare & Company. His recent directing credits include Mother Courage and Her Children, Private Lives, The Tempest, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Santaland Diaries, Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. He is a Master Teacher of Fight and Movement. Simotes has taught and directed at many universities and is an actor. He is a proud member of SAG, SDC, AEA, and AFTRA. Simotes is thrilled to be part of the Berkshire community. He lives in Pittsfield with his lovely wife, Lucy, and their dogs, Puck and Feste/

Nearby

Near this location:
1
mi
The Healing Place
1 West St
1
mi
Table Six Restaurant
2 Kemble St
1
mi
Canyon Ranch In Lenox
165 Kemble St
1
mi
Jennings Brook Farm
51 Walker Street
1
mi
Hochfelder & Associates, PC
45 Walker St
1
mi
Hampton Terrace Bed & Breakfast
91 Walker St

8 reviews of Shakespeare & Company

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Wantagh, NY
I have been attending performances at Shakespeare and Company for the past ten years, and I’m sad to say that after tonight’s performance of The Comedy of Errors, I will not go back. The cast did a great job with the performance, but the show was a misguided attempt at humor at the expense of Italian Americans. The show was done in completely modern dress and setting with modern songs interspersed throughout. The beautiful words penned by Shakespeare were presented through thick, phony accents reminiscent of The Sopranos and The Godfather. I really wanted to like the show, but everything about it screamed «cheap,» which is not what I expect from Shakespeare.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
We just got back to the hotel after seeing ‘A comedy of errors’. A high energy ensemble, that retold the story in a fun and unique way. The cast was great. We really thought the 2 leads-​Kelly Curren who broke into an amazing version of Whitney’s ‘I want to run to you’, and Ian Lassiter who played 2 lead roles so well you believed there was 2 actors. Good Job! Thanks for a fun night.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
It’s a replica of the Globe Theater. This is history, reborn. This is the birth of the modern stage!
But did you know about the other performance spaces? Shows will run the gamut, and we caught a lively, small ensemble comedy of errors called The 39 Steps in the Bernstein Theatre, S&Co’s black box.
The performance is excellent, the acoustics and intimacy are perfectly suited for the space. If you make your way to the Berkshires and skip this stalwart, your trip is incomplete.
Complete your trip. Make time for a show at Shakespeare & Company.
Place rating: 5
Somerville, MA
Not many theater companies can take 16th-​century writing and make it contemporary, entertaining, and funny. This troupe does exceptional physical comedy, frequently sings, and delivers old lines with new life and style.
This is a good intro to Shakespeare for young audience and a great production company for Shakespeare fans of all ages.
Place rating: 5
Waltham, MA
One of my favorite spots in the Berkshires — especially because it runs year round. Great theatre and a wonderful auditorium. (Don’t miss the Valentine’s Day brunch.)
Place rating: 5
Albany, NY
The best entertainment ever. The performances are always very professional. The facilities are well suited for their productions. Box office and administration helpful with assistance answering any question about any of the shows and best seats. Highly recommend this for all ages based on production.
Place rating: 5
Pioneer Valley
i took my 10-​year-​old granddaughter to see her first play today: Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare and Company. We were accompanied by my daughter who regularly ushered with me at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge.
We were thrilled with this production.
A confession: I never liked the play. .. until today. It was the first Shakespearean play I read, sneaking a copy behind my grammar book while a student at St. Martha’s School. I’ve taught it to high school students and I saw the Zeffirelli film. Until today, I had not seen a live production.
I came away with a different slant on. .. and appreciation for. .. this 500 year old work.
What was apparent was the emphasis on love and hate as life-​changing emotions and not on the titillating teenaged sex thing that has burdened the play and made it less than teachable.
This production also brings out a subtext which deals with literacy and communication. Frankly, without being political, it called to mind the political rancor that is troubling this nation at the present time.
Here, hate was fueled by an inability and a refusal to listen.
This production features what I have come to recognize as some Shakespeare & Company hallmarks: the seamless incorporation of music (Will would love it); the placement of the acting company on the stage at the beginning of the play, as well as the athleticism of the cast as they utilize the entire building to make the drama live.
The performances were brilliant. Susannah Millonzi was amazing as Juliet. The chemistry between Susannah and her Romeo, played by David Gelles, was strong. The staging of the balcony scene — without using the readily available balcony — was creative and allowed the audience to focus on the faces and voices of the two leads as they rendered the so familiar words.
Tod Randolph was perfect as the nurse while Kevin O’Donnell nearly stole the show as Mercutio.
While there was no particular setting or theme other than in a universal past, the beautiful Jazz Age white-​beige-​gold costumes gave life to the prologue’s «two families, alike in dignity» and presented the Capulets and the Montagues on a level playing field. When the company resorted to Renaissance dress for the Capulets’ party, it seemed a natural change from street to ballroom clothes.
The Shaker set decoration allowed for easy changes of scene and yet signaled the definite locations of the play’s progress.
The sword fights were thrilling. I ducked several times but my granddaughter pooh-​poohed the idea. «They weren’t pointed at me,» she said.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Something wicked this way comes – and it’s not just my 300th review. And by wicked, I mean fantastic.
Shakespeare & Company of Lenox, Massachusetts is by far the most amazing theatre company I have ever watched and had the honor of working with. Located out in the Berkshires, they have built a small campus of buildings and performance spaces where they not only perform some of the greatest acts, but also teach and inspire.
They are a team of well over a hundred actors, directors, producers, and more, ranging from children to adults who have a passion for performing the great works of Shakespeare. Their performances travel across the country but most are found right in their Lenox home. They also establish residences at schools where they’ll direct student acted shows. They came to my high school all four years in North Andover and it was truly amazing. The Shakespeare & Company lead performances were always the most exciting and most desired portion of the theatre season at my high school. Call us losers, drama geeks, or whatever else you see fit. But to have a group of adolescents excited to learn and recreate Shakespeare – well I think that’s pretty amazing.
S & Co also hosts seasonal festivals where not only do they perform shows, but they invite the high schools that they’ve worked with to all travel to Lenox and perform their shows for each other. Their Lenox campus is gorgeous and conveniently located near downtown shops and hotels. They are even in the process of working with international architects, historians, etc to recreate the world’s first accurate replication of Shakespeare’s Rose Playhouse.
If you travel to the Berkshires, I insist you check their website and see what is going on during your visit. You will NOT be disappointed. And if you work in the education industry, I’d look into hosting this company at your institution – it’s an experience your students will appreciate for a lifetime.
And to end this review, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite lines that I learned during my freshman year when we performed, «Much Ado About Nothing.»
Beatrice: I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.
God, how gay was I?!