With support from the California Arts Council, LOS ANGELES DRAMA CLUB INC will be able to begin a new chapter in our mission to use theatre to create diverse communities of belonging and self-empowerment for youth across Los Angeles. With a new executive director coming on in June, our goal for this year is to begin the expansion of our foundational programs, such as our annual Shakespeare Youth Festival, our Summer Institute and our Shakespeare in the City outreach programs, and make them even more accessible to the youth of LA and the surrounding areas.
Since 2010, Los Angeles Drama Club/Shakespeare Youth Festival has successfully built an ongoing artistic community of youth who, through the creative process of “putting on a play,” have found a passion, a purpose, and a safe place to express themselves and gain self-worth from their collective accomplishments. Our programs include our annual Spring Shakespeare Festival, which brings together youth from all over Los Angeles to rehearse and perform three to four Shakespeare plays in rotating repertory, Summer Institute (our summer theater and play-writing camps), and our in-school/after-school workshops and residencies, called Shakespeare in the City. Additionally, we travel to Botswana, Kenya, and Guanajuato, Mexico annually to conduct workshops for youth. While our nonprofit is registered as Los Angeles Drama Club, in 2019, we began using Shakespeare Youth Festival as our public name, to better reflect our mission.

