Capitol Shakespeare
Bringing Shakespeare to the Prairie.
Twelfth Night
Summer 2027 at Bismarck State College!
Check out the Performance /Auditions tab for more info!
Our Mission
Our society was founded in 2008 to provide residents of the Bismarck-Mandan area with free exposure to the life and works of William Shakespeare. We have expanded our programming to include a mid-winter performance of a classic play in February each year.
Every year we seek to awaken the imagination of our community with our productions. We are proud to offer our productions for free of charge to our audiences. Our focus is to attract people of all ages and backgrounds to our events, as we believe that Shakespeare’s works are engaging, entertaining, and inspiring to all audiences.
In 2009, just one week before our second annual summer performance, founder and president of the organization, Crystal Reid, suddenly died. In the spirit of theater, the show opened to crowds of 300 plus each evening. It is our goal to continue to fulfill Crystal’s dream of bringing our community the experience of live Shakespearean theater.
About Us
Our summer production, The Two Gentlemen of Verona was performed July 22-26, 2026 at Bismarck State College, our longtime partner. We are so grateful for their generosity in hosting us! Check out our Performance / Auditions page for more details on how to audition and performances or follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Learn more about the history of Capitol Shakespeare and what we do in this amazing documentary created by our videographer Tanner Hostetter.
Your Donations and Support Create such an Impact.
Capitol Shakespeare is a non-profit 501C3 organization. We have wonderful sponsors and donors who help us further our mission of bringing high quality theatre to our community free of charge. If you would like to help us with that mission, please click on the button below and it will take you to our donation page where you can begin supporting us today!
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…”
As You Like It —- William Shakespeare