The Destination for Shakespeare in Los Angeles
SCLA provides Los Angeles with innovative, world-class theatrical productions of Shakespeare and other great works, high-quality arts education and workforce development programs for underserved youth, veterans, and formerly incarcerated people — because arts engagement builds community and changes lives.
The Shakespeare Center Campaign
While we are under construction, we will continue to be a home for Inspiring mainstage productions, Empowering education and youth development programs, and community Serving initiatives that uplift our community.
Now Showing at the Shakespeare Center
Introducing our Membership Program!
Becoming a member is the easiest way to help the Shakespeare Center change lives in LA! Members receive exclusive discounts to our online store (opening this month), invites to member only events, tickets to our opening season, and so much more! Join this month to get special discounts and offers!
Shakespeare Summer Youth Intensive
A pre-professional and college preparatory actor training program for high school students
The Summer Shakespeare Youth Intensive invites young actors to immerse themselves in the necessary rigor to build classical theater performance techniques that will support them throughout their careers as students and professionals.
The two-week intensive offers juniors and seniors opportunities to explore acting techniques, build skills and confidence to work with classical texts, and begin to develop their craft for college and professional auditions.
July 7-19
Mon-Sat 10 am-7 pm
With 2 public performances on Saturday July 19
Will Power Afterschool
Our signature youth serving program Will Power After School will continue to provide at-risk youth ages 15-21 with full-time arts-based employment at partner school sites in underserved communities. Students study, create, produce, and perform adaptations of Shakespeare plays under the guidance of trained teaching artists and peer mentors who are program alumni.
Veterans in Art
SCLA’s Veterans in Art (ViA) program provides paid vocational training in technical theater arts and life-skills development for high need, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans. Launched in 2013, the program is SCLA’s arts-based transitional employment opportunity for U.S. military veterans who work as venue and scenic crews, audio engineers, wardrobe assistants, ushers, parking attendants, site specific marketers, technical directors, and actors for SCLA’s mainstage professional productions.
The Shakespeare Center Ignites Social Change
Now, more than ever, we are committed to being a vibrant hub for award-winning, contemporary interpretations of Shakespeare’s works and to serving our community through programs designed to engage and enrich people from all walks of life.
Arts Education
Will Power to Schools offers teachers at Title 1 schools professional development opportunities, arts integration training projects, and classroom curriculum materials. This nationally-recognized program enhances the way teachers inspire meaningful classroom engagement related to the works of William Shakespeare.
Our recent ground-breaking project, MACBETH: A Virtual Live-Action Graphic Novel, is one example of our highly innovative educational tools that have proven immensely popular with educators throughout Los Angeles and around the country.
Mainstage Productions
The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles offers critically acclaimed mainstage and outdoor productions that entertain and enrich audiences, igniting social change grounded in the belief that live theater is a birthright. Our most recent production of The Tempest: An Immersive Experience was named one of the “nine top Los Angeles theater offerings for 2023” by the Los Angeles Times.
In development is the play R.U.R., a 1921 classic of Czech theater written by Karel Čapek which gave the world the word "robot" and explored the rewards and risks of artificial intelligence.
Arts Based Workforce Development
Will Power After School provides at-risk youth ages 15-21 with full-time arts-based employment at partner school sites in underserved communities. Students study, create, produce, and perform adaptations of Shakespeare plays under the guidance of trained teaching artists and peer mentors who are program alumni.
Our Veterans in Art program provides paid vocational training in technical theater arts and life-skills development for high need, honorably discharged U.S. military veterans. Veterans work as venue and scenic crews, audio engineers, and wardrobe assistants for mainstage professional productions.