Dear Friends,

As we look ahead to our vibrant new season at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, I keep returning to what makes our theatre a place of belonging. It is more than our beautiful Downtown Baltimore stage or our beloved summer home at the PFI — it is the shared experience of storytelling. It is the artists who illuminate these works with passion and ingenuity, the audiences who transform each performance into an intimate exchange, and the collective act of bringing the past into conversation with the present. At CSC, we take pride in our bold approach to classical theatre, one that is deeply woven into the communities we serve. We champion local artists, introduce thousands of students to their first live Shakespeare experience with our student matinee program, and expand our reach through initiatives like Shakespeare Beyond, our expansive free parks tour. Here, the classics are not relics; they are living, breathing works that bring us closer to one another. And these days, we need all the community we can gather! Our 2025-2026 season carries these values forward, revealing the power of love as a transformative and redemptive force through the reimagining of canonical works. You can join our family by subscribing! Subscribers enjoy three shows, special benefits and deals on our stellar season lineup.

This February, we continue our exploration of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with his Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences. This poignant meditation on love, family, and responsibility will serve as CSC’s final staging in The Baltimore August Wilson Celebration, a city-wide tribute we have been honored to spearhead. In the spirit of final bows, our mainstage season also brings the last works of two literary masters. Jane Austen’s Persuasion — published posthumously — invites us into a world of longing and social intrigue, where second chances unfold against the backdrop of Regency England. Shakespeare’s The Tempest, his spellbinding farewell to the stage, conjures a storm of magic and reconciliation. Our holiday tradition continues with A Christmas Carol, bringing warmth and wonder to the winter season. And next summer, under the open sky in Ellicott City, we invite you to The Tale of Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s rarely staged romantic adventure of forbidden love, mistaken identity, and the promise of reconciliation. Both shows are available as a subscriber add-on. We welcome you to immerse yourself in these transformative worlds. From the cliffs of Regency England to the backyards of 1950s Pittsburgh; from 19th-century Baltimore to a mystical island of exiles; and into the far reaches of ancient Britain. At the heart is love in all its forms—lost, rekindled, tested, and triumphant.

Join us for the ride – subscribe today! See you at the theatre!

Lesley Malin
Producing Executive Director