About
Founded in 2010 in the woods on Whidbey Island in Washington State with the intention to bring accessible classical theatre to our community. We are guided by our values of accessibility, anti-racism, inclusion, excellence, and sustainability. We are pay what you will and believe in the power of theatre to inspire contemporary social examination and change.
Mission
Accessible classical theatre realized for a contemporary audience.
Eco-Theatre Practiced by Island Shakes
We reuse as much as we can season to season and procure much of what's new to us from recycling centers, second use stores, and local thrift shops. We offer recycling receptacles at our venue and encourage our company and audiences to recycle what they can. As an outdoor company, our environment is keenly important to us, and we are careful to create minimal ecological impact. We do not offer bottled water, and use eco-friendly packaging and materials. We engage with local vendors as much as possible. We keep mass-mailings to a minimum and offer a digital playbill as well as one printed (though the internet at our site creates a barrier to us going totally paper-free).
Ways productions at Island Shakes have highlighted local ecology
We strive to highlight local groups through "community" pages in our playbill. Our productions investigate myriad contemporary social justice issues, and we are in nascent stages of developing an adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard investigating deforestation in the Amazon.
Island Shakes' Eco Goals
We are in early stages of envisioning a long-term wooded home, and intend to create this space with mindful care for our environment. We strive for iterative improvement to our measures of sustainability and intend focused engagement with local indigenous populations to better engage with our local environment.
