What's In A Name?
In 1999, Sara Betts had an idea to do an outdoor performance of Shakespeare at the amphitheatre at the Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. She asked friends and colleagues who might be interested in joining her. Dinna Myers and Jeff Day raised their hands; though Dinna said "If we do a show we will need to say we are some kind of company". Sara took Dinna and Jeff over to investigate the performance space she had identified. It was a concrete stage with a big grass lawn in the blazing sun. "See! We can perform right here and we can call it Shakespeare in the Sun," she said. Dinna could envision many hospital trips due to heat stroke and gently lead Sara and Jeff over to a shady courtyard in the same complex. "I see your point, " said Sara. "But then we can't call it Shakespeare in the Sun." "No problem. We'll call it Shady Shakespeare," Dinna said. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Where Are They Now?
Sara, who now resides in Rhode Island, was our founding Artistic Director and continues to be a positive influence on the artistic direction of the company.

Jeff, who left SSTC shortly after its inception, recently earned his MFA in Directing and is currently pursuing a PhD in Theatre in Texas.

Dinna has served the company as Managing Director since its inception and is still at the helm to this day.

Landmark Moments 2000 Achieved 501c3 Non-Profit status 2001 Switched from paid to free performances 2002 Moved to Sanborn–Skyline County Park 2004 Produced our first non-comedy (Hamlet) 2005 First repertory (two-show) season 2005 Runner Up for Best Local Theatre Company by Metro Readers Best in Arts and Culture 2007 Larry Barrott succeeds Sara Betts as Artistic Director 2007 Wave Magazine 2007 Silicon Valley Theatre Award recipient for Standout Classical Production for our 2006 production of The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Angie Higgins. 2008 10th Anniversary Season 2010 Season expands to include a ticketed spring production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. 2010 Bard Academy of the Bay Area Launches its Shakespeare Camp for Youth and Teens, which mounts its own production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. 2011 Our Production of The Imaginary Invalid wins a Silicon Valley Small Venue Theatre Award for Costume Designs by Rosie Ricca.

Past Productions 1999 Twelfth Night - Directed by Sara Betts 2000 As You Like It - Directed by Dinna Myers 2001 The Two Gentlemen of Verona - Directed by Sara Betts 2002 Much Ado About Nothing - Directed By Dinna Myers 2003 A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Directed by Doll Piccotto 2004 Hamlet - Directed by Dinna Myers 2005 Measure for Measure - Directed by Jeff Bengford The Merry Wives of Windsor - Directed by Dinna Myers 2006 The Taming of the Shrew - Directed by Angie Higgins & Sharon Salazar Romeo and Juliet - Directed by Larry Barrott 2007 Macbeth - Directed By Karen Moore The Tempest - Directed by Dinna Myers 2008 Twelfth Night - Directed by Dinna Myers The Comedy of Errors - Directed by Larry Barrott 2009 Richard III - Directed by Ross Arden Harkness As You Like It - Directed by Angie Higgins Shakespeare's Most Wanted - Written and Directed by Doll Piccotto 2010 The Merchant of Venice - Directed by Bryan Freeman Much Ado (About Nothing) - Adaptedand Directed by Larry Barrott Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard - Directed by Dinna Myers 2011 Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, Directed by Shawn Andrei Henry V, Directed by Larry Barrott A Midsummer Night's Dream, Directed by Dinna Myers