American Shakespeare Center

"Blackfriars Playhouse" redirects here. For the original theatre, see Blackfriars Theatre.
American Shakespeare Center
FormationSeptember 1988
TypeTheatre group
PurposeShakespeare and other classics, contemporary plays, new plays
Location
  • The Blackfriars Playhouse
    10 S. Market Street
    Staunton, VA 24401
Websiteamericanshakespearecenter.com

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia,[1] that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related to Shakespeare, like James Goldman's The Lion in Winter and Bob Carlton's Return to the Forbidden Planet.[2]

The ASC is notable for its theatre, the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world's first recreation of the original indoor Blackfriars Theatre in London that was demolished in 1655.[3][4] As a theater company, the ASC hosts performances by two rotating ensembles of 16 different titles in 5 distinct seasons, 52 weeks a year, at its Blackfriars Playhouse, as well as hosting a regional travelling company, ASC on Tour. The ASC also provides a year-round laboratory for students and scholars through education programming in Staunton and on the road.[5]

  1. ^ "Theatre Profiles: American Shakespeare Center". Theatre Communications Group. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  2. ^ Davis, Deryl (October 2005). "Shakespeare Rocks". Stage Directions. 18 (10). New York, NY: Timeless Communications: 110–113. ISSN 1047-1901. ProQuest 2265143.(subscription required)
  3. ^ Siegel, Robert (September 7, 2001). "Blackfriars Playhouse". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Virchow, Tory Talbot (August 19, 2012). "Shedding Light on the American Shakespeare Center: A Few Highlights of a Remarkable Weekend". Shenandoah Press. Archived from the original on July 26, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Wren, Celia (February 2006). "Currents: They Do It Like the King's Men Did-Almost". American Theatre. 23 (2). New York, NY: Theatre Communications Group: 44–47. ISSN 8750-3255. ProQuest 2408823.(subscription required)