Founding Artistic Director, John Farmanesh-Bocca

Associate Artistic Director, Louis Scheeder

Voice & Speech Faculty, Natsuko Ohama

Alexander Technique, Jean-Louis Rodrique

Teen Program Director and Administrative Intern, Alix Angelis

Associate Producer, Andrew Barrett-Weiss

Associate Producer, Eric Sims

To Offer Top-Notch Shakespeare to Santa Monica, joining the other great cities in the world that provide theatre to its residents, surrounding communities and visitors.

To Develop an annual company, comprised of aspiring student artists and professional actors unified by their commitment to lifelong training in the classics.

To Educate and Enrich through the medium of Shakespeare. Every summer we will present the magic of Shakespeare in every conceivable environment- from tennis courts to the beach, from the Miles Playhouse and Main Street to a playground at Clover Park. We believe Shakespeare is most successful when it becomes a part of the fabric of our community. Accessibility will ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience the poetry, power and timelessness of Shakespeare’s theatrical work.

The Inaugural 2oo4 ‘Santa Monica Shakespeare Project’, took place in July 2oo4 with the production of Much Ado About Nothing. The Production was directed by Louis Scheeder and was produced by Project Artistic Director John Farmanesh-Bocca, and was made possible by the generous support of Andrew Barrett-Weiss and The Powerhouse Theatre Co.

We were thrilled with the overwhelming response to this production. Much Ado About Nothing played free to the many residents and visitors of Santa Monica and its neighboring communities. The five performances of Much Ado About Nothing were staged on the Reed Memorial Park - Tournament Tennis Court #1. With close to 700 audience members for the Free Shakespeare Weekend, all ages, from eight to eighty, and all socio-economic backgrounds in attendance agreed that it was an exciting, educational and entertaining experience.

In 2oo5 we tripled our attendance with repertory Productions of All’s Well That Ends Well & Romeo and Juliet. We performed for two weekends in The Miles Memorial Playhouse with another visit to the Reed Park Tennis Courts for our final weekend.

In 2oo6 we broke that attendance record once again with a FREE Repertory of King Lear and Pericles, Prince of Tyre and a Teen Shakespeare Production of Comedy of Errors.

*How did we do it?
The 2oo4 pilot production was made possible through the generous support of The Powerhouse Theatre Company. Both Andrew Barret-Weiss and Eric Sims were instrumental in getting the event produced. We also had the invaluable cooperation of Santa Monica city employees, Rich Rollins, Danny Price with the Tennis Court, and Justin Yoffe at the Miles Playhouse.

*Why Santa Monica?
Santa Monica’s natural beauty and cultural savvy make it the perfect locale amongst its’ neighboring communities for being a center of cultural dynamism. Many of the annual members of the company are also Santa Monica Bay residents.
The Ocean. The Parks. The Mountains as backdrop. We simply love it here!

One of the Primary functions of Shakespeare Santa Monica is as a summer professional training intensive in classical theatre acting, with teachers and directors from some of the finest arts institutions in the nation.
The Curriculum consists of Text Analysis, Voice & Speech, Physical Approach, Scene Study, as well as Audition Technique. The focus will be on elevating the actors’ all around ‘game’, so that they approach classical text, as well as all other work, with greater specificity, clarity, inspiration and daring. Because of the limited sizes we get a chance to really take advantage of the fabulous training.
Auditions will be held in both Los Angeles and New York, or you can schedule an interview by e-mailing Artistic Director, John Farmanesh-Bocca at jfbnyla@gmail.com. Come join us.

As an exciting highlight of the training program Shakespeare Santa Monica will annually present Free Shakespearean Productions. These shows will be fully realized productions and will be advertised to draw large crowds for both indoor and outdoor venues.
The cast will wholly consist of the participants of the Shakespeare Santa Monica Professional Training Program and Artists-in-Residence, and will often involve double casting. It is an exciting way to showcase the talents of the participants, and put the training into practice.

John Farmanesh-Bocca (Founding Artistic Director & Physical Approach Instructor): Directing Fellow (03-05) at The Juilliard School in Manhattan, John is a graduate of New York University’s Experimental Theatre Wing, and has been a working Actor and Director for the past nine years. John has also been an acting coach and teacher for a number of years developing physical acting approaches for the stage.

An artist-in-residence at The Carmel Shakespeare Festival, John’s Shakespeare credits include Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antony and Cleopatra, Othello, The Tempest, Cymbeline, Taming of the Shrew, Twelth Night, King John, Henry the VI, Parts One, Two and Three,, Edward the Third (U.S. Premiere), and most recently a 2002 repertory as Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts One and Two and Henry in Henry V. John formerly served as the Founder of the Classical Theatre Training program at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts, as well as his own Performing Arts Conservatory in Carmel, Ca. During his Fellowship at The Juilliard School, John remains a guest faculty member at The John Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica. John’s conservatory graduates have attended such prestigious acting programs as Harvard (ART), The Central School of Speech & Drama in London and New York University.

John is also the on-going director of the Big Sur Theatre Lab, an international experimental theatre retreat set annually in Big Sur, California.

Louis Scheeder (Associate Artistic Director & Acting and Verse Instructor): Founder and Director of The Classical Studio, NYU/TSOA; former Producer of Washington’s Folger Theatre Group (1973-1981). Louis has directed on, off- and off-off Broadway and at regional theatres in the U.S. and Canada. He was associated with the Manitoba Theatre Centre from 1981-1984. Louis served as Assistant to Royal Shakespeare Company’s Artistic Director, Terry Hands 1987-1988. Co-author of "All the Words on Stage", a complete pronunciation dictionary for the plays of William Shakespeare. Directed the 2004 season’s inaugural offering, Much Ado About Nothing and last year's All's Well That Ends Well.

Andrew Barrett-Weiss (S.S.M. Associate producer & Powerhouse Theatre Company, Executive Director)

Eric Simms (S.S.M. Associate producer & Powerhouse Theatre Company)

Justin Yoffe (Miles Playhouse, Administrative Director)

Julia Braun-Kessler (Development Committee)

Paris D. Brunner (Development Committee)