American Shakespeare Theatre

The American Shakespeare Theatre was a theater company based in Stratford, Connecticut, United States.

It was formed in the early 1950s by Lawrence Langner, Lincoln Kirstein, John Percy Burrell, and philanthropist Joseph Verner Reed.

The American Shakespeare Festival Theatre was constructed and the program opened on July 12, 1955, with Julius Caesar.

[11] In 2013, Beer Manager Steven Bilodeau of Wines Unlimited and Pete Rodrigues of Captain's Keg organized a beer festival on the grounds of the American Shakespeare Theatre called the ShakesBeer Festival in order to raise funds towards the restoration and reopening of the famed theatre.

Stratford presented A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed by the Connecticut Free Shakespeare, on the grounds July 31 through August 1, 2013.

[15] In April 2019, three local teenagers – Logan Caraballo, Vincent Keller, and Christopher Sakowicz[16] – were charged as adults with arson, burglary, and other felonies, in connection with the theatre fire.

[20] Keller potentially faces up to 18 months in prison, while Caraballo's case remains pending and sealed as of December 2022.