“…we know what we are,
but not what we may be.”
— Ophelia
Hamlet
Our Story
Shakespeare on the Vine Theatre Company was founded in 2013 performing sonnets and monologues in Napa Valley, California on Valentine’s Day. Later the company became the resident theatre at Brice Station Vineyards (BSV) in Murphys, California—the company’s home for the last nine seasons performing exclusively during the summer.
In our first season at BSV, we challenged the binary by flipping gender conventions in William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Season two manifested by altering the physical landscape audiences expected in As You Like It. By season three, our ambition bloomed by capturing our audience’s attention in the compelling tragedy Hamlet starring Sean M. Lewis. Propelled into season four, we transported audiences to a musically underscored island in The Tempest. In 2019, with vaulting ambition, we raised our production values in Macbeth starring Elyse Sharp and built a world where women were warriors who could rise to the status of king. Due to COVID-19, we cancelled our 2020 production of The Comedy of Errors. The following year, our benefit show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) used three actors to render the entire canon with hilarious irreverence. Our eighth season took on the magic and childhood delight of a fairy land in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A 2023 season announcement is coming soon. This will be 10 years of Shakespeare performed at Brice Station Vineyards.
Tara Kayton
Producing Artistic Director
Founder
Janet Cunningham
Associate Artistic Director
Founder
Below are the names of all the artists who have worked on one or more productions since 2015.
Ross Aldrich
Robbie Allen
Jack D. Apfel-McDowell
John Baker
Leda Bashi
Diane Brown
Charlotte Calvert
Janet Cunningham
Stephen Daly
Ryan M. Davis
Suzie DeSimone
Sheila Doyle
Laura J. Eckelman
Jake Edmonson
Mike Evans
Abby Fuqua
Zoe Fuqua
Sara Garcia
Candice Goodman
Cortney Gillespie
Vickie Hall
Emeld Ross Hampton
Daniel Harrison
Kierin Harrison
Jeremiah Heath
Chelsea Herman
Matthew Hobgood
Gabbie Infelise
Nicole Job
Laura Johnson
Holly Johnston
Arissa Jones
Herin Kaputkin
Tara Kayton
Mona Kayton
Ron Kayton
McKenna Kelly-Eiding
Suzanne Kristapovich
Brandon Lancaster
Alia Camille Ledford
Sean M. Lewis
Kathleen Lowe
Rachel Lowing
Nichole Markle
Hugo Francisco Martinez
Dolores Mast
Robert Mast
Stuart Mast
Tyler Mattson
Lubov Mazur
Amy Mazzaferro
Ann Mazzaferro
Clocky McDowell
Misty McDowell
Lillian McLeod
Kevin Miller
Amber Rack
Shelby Rose Richardson
Sydney Schwidnt
Elyse Sharp
Brieanna Shumway
Hilary Schwartz
Jack Souza
Traci Sky Sprague
Alex Stoicheff
Dan Swanson
Jim Toner
Tasha Unninayar
Lahna VonEpps
Tyler Waterman
Jenia Willhite
Charlene West
Emily C. Wilson
Robert Zellers
Lynn Zunino
Calaveras Visitors Bureau
“It’s one of those seamless experiences where a confluence of elements combine to make a magical evening of entertainment.”
The Roots of Shakespeare on the Vine
“The company’s mission is to be fearless in its presentation of art, and Kayton aims to find fun and compelling ways to tell the Shakespeare stories in ways that keeps actors and audience on their toes.”
Innovations in Tourism Award Winner
“One of the greatest things about their venue, says Mast, is the “discovery factor” for visitors – you may come for the music, and discover the wines or that they also have Shakespeare.”