A New Chapter for Lakeside Shakespeare.

November 20, 2025

Dear friend,

I write to you from my cozy breakfast nook-turned-desk as the last leaves fall from the trees. This time of year in Michigan has its own magic: songs in the breeze, remnants of colors dancing against the sky — but, I must confess, it also has me dreaming of summer: of sun and water, of the laughter of children playing at the beach, and, of course, of Lakeside Shakespeare. Summer in Frankfort wouldn’t quite be summer without Lakeside, would it?

There’s something so powerful about the togetherness that Lakeside builds — that feeling of present, palpable community that spans generations. Young children learn and play on the same stage where Lakeside’s Chicago-based company performs, surrounded by picnics of friends, family, neighbors, and strangers.

The Merchant of Venice (2017)

Lakeside is what brought me to this area for the first time. I was 21 years old and a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young actor when I was cast in The Merchant of Venice and Coriolanus. I was positively thrilled for the opportunity: I’d grown up with the Collected Works of William Shakespeare on my bedside table. My grandfather David was what you might call an “eminent scholar” of Elizabethan theater, especially Shakespeare (you can still find his editions and writings on bookstore shelves). But perhaps more importantly, my grandfather — and his wife Peggy — were constructors of community. In a bubble of university-adjacent wealth in the South Side of Chicago, they built bridges between people, and extended their welcoming handshakes across gaping social chasms. They loved their Shakespeare and their operas, English history and clever poetry, but they loved people more.

I think that’s why I fell in love with Lakeside Shakespeare the way that I did. It’s more than just performance. It’s connection. And, in a moment of increasing divisiveness, this kind of connection is more powerful than ever.

When I moved to Northern Michigan in 2020, theaters around the country were shutting down, including the local professional theater in Traverse City. Lakeside’s programming was reduced to a one-week season. But, even as the world of performing arts collapsed, I found myself heartened by the amount of local talent and resilience in the world of performing arts here in Northern Michigan. My now-husband Max and I began dreaming about how to create year-round programming involving these brilliant local artists. Last year, it became clear that those dreams were intertwined with the future of Lakeside Shakespeare.

Between limited revenue from their reduced one-week run and growing logistical challenges of moving the show from Chicago to Frankfort, Lakeside was struggling. Max and I chatted with Lakeside’s artists and friends, with experts and folks working in the arts across the region, and a few things became clear. First, Lakeside had some serious re-structuring to do. Second: we had to return to a two-week season. And third: the project needed more local involvement and more support if it was going to continue.

So, we jumped. Max and I pulled on our boots and started building a non-profit: something to ensure the future Lakeside Shakespeare and, eventually, produce more year-round theatre. I am proud to introduce our brand new 501(c)(3) nonprofit: The World’s a Stage, or TWAS, for short, TWAS is a performing arts non-profit dedicated to offering theatrical experiences and education in Northwest Lower Michigan — starting with the Lakeside Shakespeare Festival. In the near future, we look forward to producing local shows and offering year-round kids’ workshops, but our first focus is producing the 2026 Lakeside Shakespeare Festival and building sustainability to take its 23-year legacy into the future.

And so, I find myself writing to you from my breakfast nook as this year draws to a close, asking humbly for your support. To continue next summer’s season, we need to raise $50,000 by December 31st — just over half our full $90,000 budget. Without this funding by the new year, we won’t be able to hire actors and designers that bring the plays to life. We won’t be able to reserve rehearsal space or any of the amenities we need to produce the shows here in Northern Michigan. This season is not possible without your support.

Donate

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help bring Lakeside into this new chapter. In a moment when federal arts funding hangs in the balance, your individual contribution is immensely powerful. This festival is not only an economic and cultural asset to Benzie County, bringing in audience members from far and wide: it’s also an experience that brings people together. It brought me to my husband, to Northern Michigan, and to a community that I cannot wait to continue serving as Artistic Director of TWAS.

With gratitude & excitement,

Leo Bevington

Executive Artistic Director

The World's a Stage