For Jacq's Love of Theatre!

I'm fundraising for Island Shakespeare Festival, a company near and dear to my heart, who I have witnessed make some beautiful and compassionate art over the past two years. I was originally slated to join their summer 2020 season for my long overdue return to the stage and first foray into theatre in the Pacific Northwest. I don't know if you can recollect the summer of 2020, but suffice it to say, the season was postponed. 

In the time that followed, I watched ISF evolve to create some wonderful and inventive art and engage in community and company support in a way that has been incredibly moving and inspiring, inviting those who would have performed in that postponed season into the fold with such warmth and tenderness. Despite not yet having shared a traditional rehearsal or a proper performance with these folks, I feel such a kinship for those who run, direct, and perform for this company, and I am so happy to support their Big Give fundraising endeavors.

ISF fosters and empowers awesome art. I'm so delighted to join the ranks of this company who endeavors to make theatre accessible and affordable to one and all. They're Pay What You Will, meaning they don't charge ticket admission, so anyone and everyone has access to the really incredible theatre my friends and I work so hard to make. 

I also love that ISF is committed to making space in the classical canon for folks who've historically been excluded from it, onstage, offstage, and in the audience. At ISF, artists and audiences get to share in an experience of belonging. “ISF has the power to make amends - ISF has the power to create peace - ISF has the power to liberate - ISF is a place where you see yourself - and know that you, yourself, are enough - you, yourself, are great.” - Ada Karamanyan (she/her)

This summer at ISF, we're bringing to life those three plays we put on hold when the first world shut down. At long last, Love’s Labors Lost, Titus Andronicus, and an exciting new world premiere adaptation Cyrano de Bergerac: A Heroic Comedy with Many Acts will finally take to the ISF stage. Many of the folks helping to make these shows happen have been waiting to share in these stories for two, three, and even four years. You know how the pandemic devastated the performing arts. Returning to the theatre after this lengthy intermission and following such impactful and life-changing world events is truly an empowering and emotional experience, and we are so very excited to get started.

Please, join me in supporting this company this summer. Your choice to make a gift now will help all of us take a deep breath together and step forward into realizing our hope. Let’s create a space together where everyone belongs.