A letter from SFCT Board President, Suzanne Cross

What's Past Is Prologue.

The Next Act Begins.

 

There is perhaps no better line for this moment than Shakespeare's words from The Tempest: “What’s past is prologue.”

For more than a decade, Santa Fe Classic Theater has earned this community’s trust through passionate artists, powerful performances, and the steady support of audiences, donors, and volunteers like you. As many of you know, our beloved Shakespeare in the Garden series has been the heart of SFCT since 2019 — and we owe that entirely to the vision of two people: Kelly Kiernan Briggs, our founding Artistic Director, and Pat Briggs, our founding Technical Director, who together built and directed that series from 2019 through 2024. We are deeply grateful for everything they gave this company, and their contribution to classical theater in Santa Fe will always be part of our story.

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It’s been a quiet few months since we last wrote to you — our final update was February’s staged reading of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Behind the scenes, though, it’s been anything but quiet. Since then, SFCT has welcomed new board members and new staff, and — together — we’ve spent these months asking a simple question: what does Santa Fe Classic Theater want to be next?

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The answer we keep coming back to is the same reason this company exists at all: we produce the classics because they matter.

That belief is carrying us into our ninth season — a genuine next act. We’re not walking away from Shakespeare; we’re already in conversation with two Santa Fe venues about bringing a full-length Shakespeare comedy back outdoors in summer 2027. But this coming season, we’re widening the lens: a season built around one resonant idea, drawing from some of the most enduring plays ever written — the same theatrical tradition that has moved audiences for 2,000 years, from Euripides forward — brought to Santa Fe as staged readings and a mainstage production.

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We'll unveil our plans soon: in early September, we’ll share our new look, our new season, and new ways to be part of it — right here and on our newly refreshed social media

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Until then, we simply want to say: thank you. Thank you for sticking with us through a quiet spring, for the years of support that built this company, and for the support we hope you’ll keep giving as Santa Fe Classic Theater begins this next chapter. Because while every production begins with a new cast, every great story continues.

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Save the date — more is coming very soon.

And mark your calendars for September 15: Theatre Lovers Club — the independent, community-wide champion of theater here in Santa Fe — is giving us a rare opportunity: an entire evening devoted to Santa Fe Classic Theater alone. Join our new directors for a free talk, and be among the first to hear our new season announced live. Classic Theater is back. RSVP here.

 

With gratitude and much love,

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Suzanne Burstall Cross

President, Santa Fe Classic Theater