Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

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Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (LTSF) is a nonprofit, community-based arts program in Nevada that produces classical and contemporary stage productions.

History
- 1972: LTSF began at Sugar Pine Point State Park on Lake Tahoe’s west shore, with performances on the Ehrman Mansion lawn.
- 1974: The lawn venue became unsuitable due to maintenance issues.
- Mid-1970s: Under the North Tahoe Fine Arts Council (NTFAC), performances moved to Skylandia Park in Tahoe City as attendance grew.
- 1978–1979: The festival moved to Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks, where performances resumed in 1979 and became known as “Bard on the Beach.”
- By 1988: The schedule expanded to 15 nights and included non-Shakespearean works.
- 1994: Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau took over management of Sand Harbor.
- 1995: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival became an independent nonprofit organization.
- 1999–2000: Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation invited LTSF to share space in the Donald W. Reynolds Not-For-Profit Center. A new, modern amphitheater, Warren Edward Trepp Stage, was built and dedicated in 2000.

Educational outreach program
- The D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Programs reach more than 8,500 young people each year in the Tahoe region.
- Summer: The festival presents “Young Shakespeare,” an interactive adaptation of a Shakespeare play performed at Sand Harbor and other Lake Tahoe locations.
- During the school year: The in-school residency program “InterACT” brings Shakespeare and the classics to schools throughout the region.

Other performances
- The festival has hosted performances by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, Chautauqua, Reno Jazz Orchestra, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, and the Sierra Nevada Ballet.