Shakespeare By The Sea Festival Inc. is a community-based, charitable organization that produces and promotes artistic works with a focus on William Shakespeare. They unite seasoned and developing talent and aspire to excel in all aspects of their work. In recent years, they have expanded their mandate to include new work, featuring stories that draw upon playwrights diverse cultural touchstones and lived experiences.
The Shakespeare By The Sea Festival is the longest running outdoor summer theatre event in the St. John’s area, having produced work continuously in outdoor venues throughout the region (with a quick dip into online theatre in 2020) since the founders produced The Tempest on the cliffs of Logy Bay in 1993. Shakespeare by the Sea Festival serves two vital purposes in the community: they develop audiences by producing highly valued theatre annually and they develop artists at all stages of their journeys.
We asked Artistic Director Sharon King-Campbell a few questions so members could learn more about Shakespeare by the Sea Festival.
What is the driving force behind your company’s mission? What impact do you hope to have on your audience and the artistic community?
Our vision is that everyone – yes, everyone! – has the opportunity to enjoy and engage with Shakespeare through work that resonates beyond the stage. We seek out ways to make our work as accessible and exciting as possible, and to engage as many people in the work of our company as we can. Our core value is ‘All Hands to the Pump!’ – we build and nurture a community in which each individual brings what they can to the project, and we all share in the work and the rewards.
Every theatre company has its standout productions that linger in the hearts of the audience. Could you share a memorable Atlantic Canadian production from your company’s repertoire? What made it special, and how did it resonate with both the team and the audience?
In 2023, Shakespeare by the Sea produced Picnic in the Backyard by NL-based playwright Bailey Jackson. Although the company has produced original work before, we do focus on the works of William Shakespeare, and this was our first premiere production in a decade. We were able to offer all of the performances for free, thanks to a sponsorship from Downtown St. John’s. In Picnic, three adult sisters meet in their childhood backyard for a picnic, just like they used to do when they were children, one last time before the old house is sold. It’s a sweet little play about the evolution of siblinghood, growing up and growing apart, and the inevitable move away from the childhood that seems to belong to a particular place.
How has PARC impacted and/or supported your company and its growth?
We became a company member of PARC in 2023 and immediately starting working together to bring new Newfoundland and Labrador plays into the Shakespeare by the Sea repertoire. In 2024, PARC workshopped two plays in development in partnership with SBTS: Icarus is Falling by Brianna Russell, and Amapiano meets Shakespeare by Pinky Rido and Nicole Obiodiaka. This year, PARC has been instrumental in our execution of our first formal commission in at least ten years – a new TYA piece by Nabila Qureshi and Abdullah Omar Saif.
Shakespeare by the Sea is a tiny, community-based company with a tiny, community-based budget, and every step of this commission has been strengthened by our partnership with PARC, from the grant applications, through the selection process, to the dramaturgy of the play itself. PARC also recently provided a workshop to all of our TYA applicants – an incredible opportunity for early-in-craft writers interested in engaging young audiences.
Shakespeare by the Sea Festival presents a staged reading of Binja by Nabila Qureshi and Abdullah Omar Saif, directed by Brandon Cave.
Moose, Puffin, Whale and Polar Bear sail the seas in search of a leader to guide them to a new and super shiny future. Based on a 12th century Sufi poem by Farid ud-Din Attar and set against a Newfoundland and Labrador backdrop, the play explores greed, bias, ego and xenophobia in an age-appropriate way, and encourages each of us to become the best version of ourselves. FREE to attend, and no registration is required. Donations are gratefully accepted. Binja was developed at the 2025 PARC Playwrights Retreat, featuring dramaturgy by PARC AD Santiago Guzmán.
WHEN
August 5, 2025 – 6 pm
WHERE
AC Hunter Children’s Library (Community Room) – St. John’s, NL