GVSF Dress Circle

The Shakespeare Festival Dress Circle is a community of Festival and theatre patrons who take pride in supporting West Michigan's premiere Shakespeare Festival and Theatre at Grand Valley.

It is our sincere hope that you will become an active part of the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival. We want you to come and enjoy the various events and celebrate Shakespeare with us. We need our audience to continue to grow with us. We also want you to consider taking the next step and become a member of the Shakespeare Festival family by joining the Dress Circle.

Dress Circle members become "Festival financial partners" by helping to sustain the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival's outstanding work. Your financial donation enables us to continue to fund our students through scholarships, to bring in professional artists, and to bring art to the community through our events and our educational outreach programs. Contributing to the Dress Circle is a way for you to say that arts matter and to contribute to their creation in our community. Dress Circle members also can help to introduce regional businesses and corporations to our patron list. Please check with your employer since they may have a donation-matching program that will help you help us.

This is what your Shakespeare Festival donation this year will do:

  • Help us present our Shakespeare Festival productions, including bringing regional school groups to see the productions at a discount rate schools can afford
  • Help us take Bard to Go to thousands of high school students in Michigan and around the world who will be influenced by Shakespeare's excellence and who may not witness his work without this program due to financial constraints
  • Provide a training ground for college students, both on the stage and behind the scenes in building and operating the production
  • Provide students with the opportunity to work with seasoned professionals and world-renowned actors, designers, scholars, and other artists
  • Continue building the community that only theatre can provide by making you a direct influence in so many lives. A portion of Dress Circle contributions also benefits the season of Theatre at Grand Valley.

Our tiers of giving are arranged for every pocketbook, and since all donations to the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival are tax deductible, Dress Circle members receive immediate financial benefits from their commitment. You'll find, as well, that there are special privileges for Dress Circle members at every level of their involvement.

We look forward to enjoying our Shakespeare Festival events with you. Thank you for your generous support.


Levels and Benefits

Guild Members ($25 - $50)

  • Names will be listed in all theatre programs.

Royal Players ($51 - $150)

  • All benefits listed above, plus
  • A 4 tickets valid for all GVSU theatre productions

Knights and Ladies ($151 - $250)**

  • All benefits listed above, plus
  • A matching pair of blue polo shirts embossed with the Shakespeare Festival logo

Dukes and Duchesses ($251 - $500)**

  • All benefits listed above, plus
  • 6 tickets valid for all GVSU theatre productions 
  • A handsome, hard-bound volume of Renwick St. James' Shakespeare Sketchbook, beautifully illustrated in full color by James C. Christiansen

Kings and Queens ($501+)**

  • All benefits listed above, plus
  • Sponsorship recognition on selected annual theatre publicity

*Tickets can be used all for one production or used singly or in groups for tickets to different productions.  

**Special business and corporate advertising opportunities exist for donors at this level. Contact Festival director for details (616) 331-3066



Page last modified December 13, 2022