Since 1996, the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival, a nonprofit organization, has presented critically-acclaimed cultural and educational programs from eastern Long Island to New York City. Our free outdoor productions have been seen by tens of thousands of individuals and families, receiving consistent praise from critics and audiences alike. HSF has employed hundreds of actors, musicians, technicians, administrators, and others. Our educational programs have inspired thousands of children from Montauk to Manhattan.

HSF productions emphasize engaging acting seamlessly fit into beautiful natural surroundings, and imaginative interpretations of the plays filled with original music and dance. HSF has been recognized for artistic excellence in major press such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and Newsday, and in local papers such as The East Hampton Star, Dan’s Papers, and The Southampton Press.

HSF strives to be accessible while maintaining the highest artistic standards. Free admission, outdoor productions in beautiful spaces, and early-evening performances timed with the setting sun are important aspects of this. The audience is encouraged to bring the family and a picnic. We make use of the immensity of our natural performance spaces to surround the audience with the play, staging scenes on distant hillsides and surprise entrances from the midst of the crowd.

HSF provides great opportunities for talented emerging artists to develop and flourish alongside accomplished veterans. We work with both Equity and non-Equity actors, and employ over forty artists each season.