EIN 54-1487955

American Shakespeare Center (ASC)

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
64
Year formed
1988
Most recent tax filings
2022-09-01
NTEE code, primary
Description
The American Shakespeare Center recovers the joys and accessibility of Shakespeare's theatre, language, and humanity by exploring the English Renaissance stage and its practices through performance and education.
Total revenues
$2,087,317
2022
Total expenses
$3,207,424
2022
Total assets
$2,626,073
2022
Num. employees
64
2022

Program areas at ASC

Situated in the heart of the shenandoah valley, the American Shakespeare Center's blackfriars playhouse has delighted hundreds of thousands of audience members from all over the world.the original blackfriarsshakespeare's blackfriars theatre was originally a 13th century monastery. Henry viii dissolved the monastery in 1538 when he removed the catholic church from england. The monastery's numerous buildings and gardens were divided up and sold off to private interests.james burbage purchased the property from the estate of thomas cawarden in 1596 and converted it into a playhouse. Shakespeare's company began performing there in 1608, charging twelve times as much for tickets to the indoor theatre as they did for the outdoor.the original blackfriars burned in the 1666 great fire of london.constructiona product of years of research, the blackfriars playhouse was built in 2001 at a total construction cost of $3.7 million. It was designed by the late richmond architect tom mclaughlin. Former Shakespeare's globe director of research andrew gurr and the late c. walter hodges, illustrator of the globe, advised the work.todaythe blackfriars playhouse is open year-round for performances of Shakespeare's plays and contemporary works in productions hailed by the Washington post as "shamelessly entertaining." Even during the 2020 pandemic, American Shakespeare Center was able to safely produce both online and for live audiences. Terry teachout of the wall street journal declared that American Shakespeare Center's was "among the most ambitious responses to the coronavirus."
In study: classroom and beyondcamp - in the last two decades, our immersive theatre camp has welcomed more than 1,200 teens to staunton for our two 3-week sessions.teacher training - we've trained hundreds of teachers to cure "shakesfear" through our quarterly teacher seminars.corporate training - our corporate leadership program provides insights into leadership and collaboration by exploring how Shakespeare's text reveals the arts of persuasion, spoken and unspoken.student workshops - led by experts at home or on the road, our workshops cover everything from stage combat to unraveling Shakespeare's text.consortium - our collegiate consortium strengthens the study of Shakespeare nationwide through a mutual exchange of study and performance.archives - students and scholars can mine our 30 years of production history-- online, at Washington & lee university, and at the blackfriars playhouse.
On tour: Maine to texaswe have brought Shakespeare to more than 500 venues across the u.s. Since 1988. Our tour have reached upwards of 20,000 patrons each year. We usually begin in september each year traveling from Virginia to Maine before returning to staunton in november, where the troupe performs in our holiday season. In january, our touring troupe usually travels to Texas and back before their triumphant return to staunton for the spring season. Due covid, there were no tours in the current fiscal year.

Who funds American Shakespeare Center (ASC)

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor Grant Recipient's Exempt Purposes$41,870
Shubert FoundationGeneral Operating$30,000
Community Foundation of the Central Blue RidgeGeneral Support$13,000
...and 5 more grants received

Personnel at ASC

NameTitleCompensation
Amy WratchfordInterim Controller / Officer / Managing Director$64,399
Kelly M. BurdickDirector of Communications / Director of Development
Sarah EnloeDirector of Education
Ethan McSweenyArtistic Director$92,672
Amy WolfMarketing and Sales Manager
...and 25 more key personnel

Financials for ASC

RevenuesFYE 09/2022
Total grants, contributions, etc.$965,764
Program services$1,101,556
Investment income and dividends$1,409
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$0
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$0
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$18,588
Miscellaneous revenues$0
Total revenues$2,087,317

Form 990s for ASC

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2021-092022-08-15990View PDF
2020-092021-04-27990View PDF
2019-092020-10-22990View PDF
2018-092019-10-11990View PDF
2017-092018-11-15990View PDF
...and 7 more Form 990s

Organizations like ASC

OrganizationLocationRevenue
California Shakespeare TheaterOrinda, CA$4,954,755
Williamstown Theatre Foundation (WTF)Williamstown, MA$7,224,281
WaterTower Theatre (WTT)Addison, TX$856,295
Whitefish Theatre CompanyWhitefish, MT$645,407
International City TheatreLong Beach, CA$1,580,474
Portland Stage CompanyPortland, ME$5,447,796
Baltimore Center StageBaltimore, MD$7,771,931
Kansas City Repertory TheatreKansas City, MO$6,035,764
Theatre AspenAspen, CO$3,832,324
Chicago Shakespeare TheaterChicago, IL$8,272,659
Data update history
May 7, 2023
Received grants
Identified 1 new grant, including a grant for $13,000 from Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge
November 13, 2022
Used new vendors
Identified 1 new vendor, including
July 2, 2022
Received grants
Identified 2 new grant, including a grant for $32,500 from Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge
September 30, 2021
Received grants
Identified 3 new grant, including a grant for $25,000 from Ambrose Monell Foundation
September 23, 2021
Received grants
Identified 3 new grant, including a grant for $25,000 from Arts Midwest
Nonprofit Types
Arts, culture, and humanities nonprofitsPerforming arts organizationsTheatersCharities
Issues
EducationArts, cultural, and humanities
Characteristics
Receives government fundingEndowed supportGala fundraisersTax deductible donations
General information
Address
20 S New St 4th Floor
Staunton, VA 24401
Metro area
Staunton, VA
County
Staunton city, VA
Website URL
americanshakespearecenter.com/ 
Phone
(540) 885-5588
Facebook page
americanshakespearecenter 
Twitter profile
@shakespearectr 
IRS details
EIN
54-1487955
Fiscal year end
September
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1988
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
A65: Theater
NAICS code, primary
711110: Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
Parent/child status
Independent
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