Special Events
Santa Fe Classic Theater is dedicated to presenting works of classic playwrights, from Sophocles to Shakespeare to Shaw.
In addition to the annual production, Shakespeare in the Garden, we host a series of special events.
Pre-Show Shakespeare Talks
First come, first served, every Sunday this Shakespeare season – July 30, August 6, August 13, and August 20 – SFCT will present free talks by renowned experts to discuss various aspects of performing Shakespeare. Beginning nightly at 6 PM until 6:30 PM, and with discussion thereafter, your ticket to Much Ado About Nothing will give you entry to Shakespeare Talks by the following local experts:
SUNDAY JULY 30 | Dr. Robert Benedetti, famed scholar, teacher, actor, director, author, and award-winner, will inaugurate our program introduction with “Much Ado About Nothing: What is This Play About?” The infamous phrase "Kill Claudio" is used to examine play aspects to watch for, including word play on “nothing” and “noting”, the plot structure, and its contrasting views of love with social and psychological impacts on Beatrice’s character. Dr. Benedetti is the founder and current manager of Santa Fe’s New Mexico Actor’s Lab and has been performing professional Shakespeare for decades.
SUNDAY AUGUST 6 | Dr. Robert Benedetti, famed scholar, teacher, actor, director, author, and award-winner, will inaugurate our program introduction with “Much Ado About Nothing: What is This Play About?” The infamous phrase "Kill Claudio" is used to examine play aspects to watch for, including word play on “nothing” and “noting”, the plot structure, and its contrasting views of love with social and psychological impacts on Beatrice’s character. Dr. Benedetti is the founder and current manager of Santa Fe’s New Mexico Actor’s Lab and has been performing professional Shakespeare for decades.
SUNDAY AUGUST 13 | Kelly Kiernan Briggs, Director of Much Ado About Nothing and co-founder of Santa Fe Classic Theater will discuss the plot and challenges of producing one of Shakespeare’s most popular “problem comedies.” A thorough introduction to the play.
SUNDAY AUGUST 20 | Nicolas Ballas, Artistic Director of the New Mexico Actor’s Lab, and Lesley Fleming-Mitchell will team up to discuss Shakespearean productions of the past forty years in Santa Fe, as they have been active actors, directors, teachers and artists from its very beginnings in the 1980’s. Much Ado is only the latest in a century of Shakespeare-love in Santa Fe.