Help Emily Ignite the Power of ISF!

This year for GiveBIG, Washington’s annual statewide day of giving happening this year on May 6–7, I’m reaching out with a special request.

I’m fundraising for Island Shakespeare Festival, a company near and dear to my heart. I grew up around this theatre company and its actors, and now as a business owner, my business Salinity has partnered with them to provide sustainable food options before the shows and during intermissions. I recently joined the board of directors, and am thrilled to help support their amazing efforts to keep high quality arts accessible to all people.

ISF produces world-class theatre with a radical model: Pay-What-You-Will. That means there are no ticket barriers—everyone can experience the joy, catharsis, and connection of live performance, regardless of what’s in their wallet. Unlike much community theatre, the actors & crew here commit to a three-month season (6 weeks of rehearsals, 6 weeks of performances) and they are paid.

This is a radical combination - (1) sliding scale, any amount or no amount tickets - (2) fully paid and valued artists. It means that out of the over 600 professional actors who auditioned this year, the best could be chosen and they didn't have to choose between this and a paid position outside the arts. It means that local families can bring their children to see Shakespeare every single night without paying anything. It's beautiful, it's creative, it's educational, and it changes lives.

ISF is reshaping the classical canon to make space for voices historically excluded—onstage, backstage, and in the audience. In addition to a Shakespeare play, every year ISF chooses a play by a female or nonbinary playwright from the 1400-1800s. The two plays alternate performances for the Wednesday through Sunday shows, July 18th-August 31st. There are 6pm start times (so you'll be home early!), with an additional 1pm matinee on Sundays! Concessions open an hour before the show starts and during intermission, and you can bring your own picnic.

Every show is an invitation to belong.

As artist Ada Karamanyan (she/her) put it:

“ISF has the power to make amends—to create peace—to liberate. ISF is a place where you see yourself—and know that you, yourself, are enough.”

This summer, ISF brings two extraordinary plays to life:

• Shakespeare’s sharp-witted comedy Much Ado About Nothing

• Amelia Roselli’s fierce and feminist gem Anima (Her Soul), written in 1898 and now part of Hedgepig Ensemble’s Expand the Canon initiative.

Will you join me in supporting this season? Your gift powers accessible, inclusive theatre that transforms lives. Let’s make a space—together—where everyone belongs.

Thank you. Every dollar makes a difference.

Click here to learn more or purchase your summer ISF tickets: https://islandshakespearefest.org/

- Emily Wilder

SeaEO of Salinity Seafood & More