Tennessee Shakespeare Co. - 2024-2025 Playbill

6 TNSHAKESPEARE.ORG Michael R. Marshall Michael R. Marshall Board President Dan McCleary Nancy R. Copp Producing Artistic Director and Co-Founder E. Frank Bluestein Co-Founder Dan McCleary E. Frank Bluestein Dear Friend, Welcome to Tennessee Shakespeare Company and our 17th performance season! We are honored that you are joining us, and we hope you feel rewarded by our commitment to artistry and inquiry on stage. During a period in the United States when so many regional theatres are closing or reducing their classical offerings, TSC remains true to our mission for you. We strive to bring you Shakespeare’s plays and classical works with professional artists who are driven by our namesake’s unique skill: offering you the questions of the universe, not forcing the answers. We trust you to discover both the beauty and personal ownership of this. One of the crucial causes of TSC remaining healthy during this nationally-disruptive time is our Immediate Past President, Mr. Ernest G. Kelly, Jr. and his wife, Pat. While both remain TSC Board members, Ernest stepped out of the President’s position in June after directing our course through five years of challenges. Ernest was unwavering in both his generous support and his commitment to our producing classical work for all Memphians to experience. When an easier course of action might have been to shutter or reduce or shift our programming, Ernest stood firm into the head winds. Because of Ernest and Pat, your attendance here, and your matching financial support, TSC began this season by producing a record-setting Free Shout-Out Shakespeare Series production of The Comedy of Errors in 11 venues throughout Shelby County (and beyond) to over 2,100 people. Our Education Program’s Macbeth Initiative and Romeo and Juliet Project are now sold-out school residencies, and our Outreach Program’s Feast of Crispian-South Program for military Veterans and Juvenile Justice Project have expanded. These successes have been achieved while we have continued to invest in our staff and facility and, as you see, our newly-configured Tabor Stage. Thank you, dear friend, for being with us. If you are so moved to invest in our expansive stage, outreach, and education work through over 30,000 points of contact this season, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution in Ernest’s honor to Tennessee Shakespeare Company. With deep appreciation, WELCOME TO OUR 17 TH SEASON!