About Us

Founded in 1974, Cal Shakes is an award-winning, nationally recognized regional theater now under the leadership of Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and Managing Director Susie Falk. Through seasonal productions at our outdoor amphitheater, and in year-round school and community-based programs, Cal Shakes expands access to the arts and builds diverse ownership of our region's cultural vitality by fostering participatory approaches to the artistic process and arts education.

Over the last decade, our Main Stage productions-both new works and responses to Shakespeare and the classics-have earned a national reputation for their exhilarating artistry and boldness of imagination. We engage artists of the highest caliber from around the country to make the past present, reimagining the classics with a thrilling potency that provides a diversity of perspectives and aesthetics to an audience of more than 45,000 people annually.

Launched in 2003, our New Works/New Communities program brings disparate communities together to engage directly in the creation of new works of theater inspired by classic literature. Through this inclusive artistic process-one that extends community relationships beyond the life of each play-we hope to nourish a cultural ecosystem that authentically reflects the extraordinary diversity of Northern California.

Established in 2001, our Artistic Learning program is our primary vehicle for increasing access to arts education through in-depth opportunities that engage a broad cross-section of nearly 5,000 Bay Area youth annually. Through in-school residencies, Student Discovery Matinees, Summer Shakespeare Conservatories, and other endeavors, our program builds students' artistic, literacy, and social skills while cultivating their creative minds and voices.

Vision

Mission

Making boldly imagined and deeply entertaining interpretations of Shakespeare and the classics.

Providing in-depth, far-reaching creative educational opportunities.

Bringing disparate communities together around the creation of new American plays inspired by classic literature.

Values

We value:
• Diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. Everyone has a voice, and we long to hear it.
• Artistic Risk. We are at our most creative when we go beyond our comfort zone.
• Learning. We love what we have yet to discover.
• Financial health. Without it, nothing we do would be possible.
• Environmental Responsibility. We strive to create, not to deplete or destroy.
• Humor. We work best together when we laugh together.
• Authenticity. If it isn’t real, it won’t connect.
• A sense of home. We strive to create a place where everyone is safe, everyone is nurtured, everyone be­longs, and everyone is always welcome.

Leadership

Jonathan Moscone
Mr. Moscone has just completed his 11th season as Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater. In 2010, he directed the world premiere of John Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven by Octavio Solis, which was a recipient of the inaugural NEA New Play Development Award. Other Cal Shakes credits include: The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby; Candida; Twelfth Night; Happy Days; and The Seagull. He is the first recipient of the Zelda Fichandler Award by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation for "transforming the American theatre through his unique and creative work." Regional credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Huntington Theatre, Alley Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Goodspeed Musicals, Dallas Theatre Center, San Jose Repertory Theater, Intiman Theatre, Magic Theatre, and three productions for Berkeley Repertory Theater. Mr. Moscone is a recipient of a Stanford Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation Fellowship and is an adjunct faculty member with A.C.T.'s MFA program. He currently serves as a board member of Theatre Communications Group.

Susie Falk
Susie Falk was appointed Cal Shakes’ Managing Director in February 2009, after serving for four years as Cal Shakes’ Marketing Director, overseeing all marketing, sales, and public relations efforts for the Theater, as well as box office and front of house operations. During her tenure, the company has seen ticket revenue increase by 24% and completed a rebranding effort. She previously served for five years as Press and Public Relations Director for Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Prior to that, she spent five years in the PR and Marketing Departments at American Conservatory Theater, and one season as part of the Professional Arts Training Program at Seattle Rep. A Berkeley native, Susie studied at Cal Shakes (then the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival) as a teenager, performing at John Hinkel Park. She recently completed seven years on the board (four as vice president) of Theatre Bay Area, the local service organization for theater companies and theater workers. She is a graduate of Vassar College and completed course work in organizational psychology at JFK University in Pleasant Hill. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, lighting designer York Kennedy, and their daughter Pippa.