Sherri Young, a graduate of the
American Conservatory Theater's Master of Fine Arts Program in 1992, believed there was a problem with theatre companies and
color-blind casting as well as the "expectation that they [actors of color] would stick to 'black plays' when they graduated". Young thought this was "inconceivable and unacceptable" which motivated her to create the African-American Shakespeare Company to provide opportunities for actors of color in mastering classical theatre. At the time, the Black-identified companies in the Bay Area were the
Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, the Oakland Ensemble Theatre, and the Black Repertory Group.
Artistic Direction: Sherri Young Sherri Young is on the board of Handful Players, a children's musical theatre, and was previously Commissioner for the
San Francisco Arts Commission where she was appointed by
Gavin Newsom. In 2006, she “won a full scholarship from Americans for the Arts” to attend their annual conference. During her time as Artistic Director and through the present, Sherri Young has acted and directed in AASC plays. Notable shows that she directed include the 1997 production of
Oedipus Rex in association with Mills College’s theater department, in which Young shifted the location of the action to Seregenti, Tanzania and her 2017 ''A Midsummer Night's Dream
set in the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago) that included puppetry. Young often directs the annual Cinderella
. She played Mrs. Candour in The School for Scandal
, the AASC production staged at Mills College in 1998 and Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Victoria Evans Erville served as Artistic Director briefly during the transition from Sherri Young to L. Peter Callender.
Artistic Direction: L. Peter Callender L. Peter Callender joined the company as its Artistic Director in 2009. The first show he directed for AASC was his 2011
Twelfth Night set in a “1940s San Francisco of film noir and jazz”. He also directed a
Julius Caesar set in postcolonial Africa in 2012, and the 2014 digitally-inflected
The Tempest, with Ariel as an app. Callender has directed numerous non-Shakespearean plays including
A Raisin in the Sun in 2012,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2013, and the lauded 2018 production of
A Streetcar Named Desire. AASC’s 20th season (2014–15) included four shows, all directed by women, The AASC received NEA support for their 2014 production of
Xtigone by Nambi E. Kelly. In 2016, Callender directed at San Jose Stage Company and he currently is associate artist at California Shakespeare Theater. He also continues to perform at Berkeley Repertory Theater and Marin Theatre Company. He played Antony in the AASC production of
Antony and Cleopatra in 2016, directed by Jon Tracy. He played the title role in AASC’s production of
Richard III in 2018, directed by Kristen Brandt. == Location ==