LENOX, Mass. – Shakespeare & Company’s 2024 Gala celebrating the company’s award-winning Education Program and its founder Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman, will take place Saturday, June 29, at 5 p.m. on the company’s 33-acre campus. 

The Gala will begin with a cocktail hour under the Tina Packer Playhouse tents, followed by a one-night-only program featuring performances by Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story, The Big Short) and other Company Artists. After the performance, guests will make their way to the tented Rose Meadow for a seated dinner catered by SoMa Catering of West Stockbridge, dessert, and dancing.

Gala Co-chairs and Shakespeare & Company Trustees Karen Kowgios and Michael A. Miller expressed their excitement to share the breadth of the Education Program’s initiatives. 

“When we were asked to be co-chairs of this year’s Gala, we knew we had to convey just how much Kevin and the entire education team accomplish year after year,” Kowgios said. “We were thrilled to take a deep dive into the amazing ways the Education Program reaches more than 50,000 students and teachers annually. 

“The Education Program doesn’t just teach Shakespeare,” she continued. “It creates a safe environment that helps young people learn, find their voices, and walk away with an inner confidence they will carry for a lifetime.”

Proceeds from the 2024 Gala benefit Shakespeare & Company Education programs, expanding its impact in the Berkshires and around the globe. Limited tickets are still available; single tickets range from $500 to $1,250, and table sponsorships are available from $5,000 to $25,000. 

For more information or to purchase tickets, write to Liam Castellan at lcastellan@shakespeare.org, or call (413) 637-1199 ext.145.

About Shakespeare & Company

Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.

About Kevin G. Coleman

Kevin G. Coleman is a founding member of Shakespeare & Company and its Director of Education. A master teacher of text analysis, stage combat, clown and directing, Coleman has been honored by the White House and the Teaching Artist Award for Theatre from the State of Massachusetts. He was also a finalist for the 2016 Tony Education Award.  Coleman has been a guest teacher or director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard university, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Louisiana State University; SUNY Albany; Stanford University, Shenandoah Shakespeare, Queensland University, Australia; Lincoln Center; the Folger Library, and the Stratford Festival, among others. 

About the Education Program

Through acclaimed programs that include the annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare, the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, Shakespeare in the Courts, and teacher training, the Education Program of Shakespeare & Company brings the work of Shakespeare into the lives of more than 50,000 students and teachers annually in effective and imaginative ways. The Program’s many initiatives in arts education have been recognized with the Mass Cultural Council Commonwealth Award, the Coming Up Taller Award given by the White House, and many other honors.