Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan

Under its origin of Nightcap Productions, founder and first Artistic Director Gordon McCall brought a group of theatre artists together to put up the first production - A Midsummer Night's Dream in the summer of 1985 on an old lawn bowling pitch near the current festival site. During Gordon's tenure from 1985-1991, the festival saw the production of seven of Shakespeare’s plays plus a remounted national tour - a landmark bilingual production of Romeo & Juliette co-directed with Robert Lepage. These productions celebrated the festival atmosphere and challenged approaches to Shakespeare.

Henry Woolf, British-born actor/playwright/director and past Head of the University of Saskatchewan Drama Department, assumed the role of artistic director of the company in 1991. During Woolf’s years, the company grew to become a multi-faceted festival and theatre company that included music, dance, and workshops, presenting off-season and non-Shakespeare productions, including the North American premiere of Harold Pinter's Ashes to Ashes. His productions over the next ten seasons earned national acclaim and public notoriety. His production of Much Ado about Nothing (1993) set in "The Bug Kingdom" had purists buzzing with anger, but the evil Don John as a black widow spider and Hero as a lovely butterfly captured the imagination of many new patrons. Woolf retired as artistic director in 2001.

After years at the festival as stage manager and production manager, Mark von Eschen stepped into the role of Artistic Director in 2001 and would oversee the longest and most consistent period of the Festival's leadership and artistic output. Mark directed a staggering 28 productions for the festival over his tenure and was known for his personal connection with his audience. From his first A Midsummer Night's Dream to his Indiana Jones inspired Comedy of Errors, audiences had a great time at his shows. In 2004, Mark also stepped into the shoes of Executive Director to take leadership of the company's financial health.

In 2014, the leadership of the organization of the company was passed to Will Brooks as Artistic Producer. Although 2014 was largely in place already, the new team was able to make many steps forward in time for the quickly approaching season: for the first time in years, an additional half week's rehearsal was added on to the company's tight preparation time, and a guest director took the reins of one of the festival's main stage shows. As only the second woman to be at the helm and the first guest director at all since 2000, this was a vital step towards a vision of gender parity for the company. Added to this were innovations like the inclusion of live actor-played music, gender blind casting, education and outreach programs, a re-designed festival mainstage, Above all else this new artistic vision brought with it a revitalized, forward-thinking, and cutting-edge vision for the company.

Recent partnerships with the Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre, and the company's first all-female production of J. Caesar, and the inclusion of a third devised production earned Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan a Juror's Award for Innovation from the Saskatoon Area Theatre Awards in 2016.

In addition to productions of plays by William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the festival's activities include: medieval feasts; workshops; tours; art displays; special matinees; and a free community stage. It is a major Canadian tourism summer destination.

Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan is listed as a Major Festival in the book Shakespeare Festivals Around the World by Marcus D. Gregio (Editor), 2004.

In 2019, the city of Saskatoon announced new plans of an overhaul of the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan location, including a permanent auditorium, dressing room, new bathrooms, concession, and other buildings. 3Twenty Modular, a Saskatoon based design and construction company, among other Saskatoon based companies, has been contracted for the future development of the area.

The following production history is sourced from the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan website.[2]

• Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan
• The Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival on Trip Advisor
• Tourism Saskatchewan Listing
• Tourism Saskatoon Listing