The Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company

Shakespeare and Possibility continues with our conversation with several recently-graduated Notre Dame seniors from the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company, Notre Dame’s student-run Shakespeare club, re-established in 1997. These students, the “NSR” class of 2024, had the unique experience of entering their freshman year at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Over their four years as undergraduates, “NSR” produced 8 mainstage Shakespearean productions and more than 10 auxiliary performances. 

The Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company is home to some of the most dedicated and passionate students on campus. These students come from multiple colleges and communities across the University but have taken the stage united by the inspiration, camaraderie, and possibility they found in Shakespeare. Join us in a conversation celebrating their 2024 commencement and the joy they have cultivated, both by their artistic accomplishments and in their friendships within the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company.  

If you are interested in joining the club or auditioning for the shows, please email [email protected] to join the email list. You can also follow the Not-So-Royal Shakespeare Company Instagram page, @nsr_shakespeare, for more information on past and future productions. 

Upcoming NSR shows in 2024-2025:

• Julius Caesar (Fall 2024): Directed by Ryan Palmer and Brittany Alvarez, this production will be set during the struggle of the English suffragette movement. 
• Error of Comedies (Fall 2024): a set of comedy skits written entirely with lines from Shakespeare, directed by Jake Rush.
• King Lear (Spring 2025): Directed by Alyssa Miulli and Jake Rush, this Lear depicts the tribulations of the 1930’s American Dust Bowl. 
• Pirate Twelfth Night (Spring 2025): Directors Tommy Liddy and Will Barret bring a high seas adventure to the stage. 
• Unrehearsed (2025): our annual show where everyone gets a role in an abridged version of a Shakespeare play with only a cue script in hand.