Canon Newsletter #1
Below is our first newsletter—to receive future newsletters in your inbox, please scroll to the bottom of the page to add your email to the list!
Welcome to the first official newsletter from the Canon Shakespeare Company! We’re so excited to have you here.
In this newsletter, you’ll find:
Recent Events: Canon at the Oregon Thespians State Festival!
Happening Now: Doctor Faustus opens April 30th!
Coming Up: Sauced Shakes: King Beer
Meet the Board: Alec Henneberger
Ask the Experts: Submit your burning questions!
As always, we appreciate your support of live theatre, and of our theatre in particular!
XOXO,
The Canon Board
Recent Events
This month, the Canon had the pleasure of sending several representatives to the Oregon Thespians State Festival! Alec led a Shakespeare Shortcuts workshop (with the companionship of Ira & Jaime), and Isabella and Chloe led a Hand-to-Hand Stage Combat Workshop.
We had the pleasure of meeting some lovely students (some of whom were shockingly educated on 70’s movies), networking with others in the industry, exploring Salem, and running into old friends (hi ComedySportz!). Already looking forward to next year!
If you or someone you know is an educator who would like to bring a workshop to your school or theatre, please reach out to company@canonpdx.org.
Photo features Isabella (Mechanical) and Chloe (Board Member) representing the Canon at State Thespians!
Happening Now
Doctor Faustus opens this Thursday, April 30th!
Written by Christopher Marlowe (gasp! Not Shakespeare! I know, we’re shocked, too) and directed by Jaime Fields, this quickly-paced play examines the consequences of our actions–and what we do to justify them.
Buy tickets here: Ticket Booth — The Canon Shakespeare Company.
For more info and to check out the cast bios, click here: Current Productions — The Canon Shakespeare Company.
Coming Up
This August, our Sauced Shakes fundraiser returns in spectacular fashion with King Beer (our take on Shakespeare’s King Lear)! Directed by Justine Summers, this show will perform every Wednesday in August at the legendary Darcelle XV Showplace. Keep an eye on our socials–and this newsletter!–for more info.
Photo features: some of the chaos from last year :)
Meet the Board: Alec Henneberger!
Name: Alec Henneberger (he/him)
Position: Managing Director, Board President
Favorite Shakespeare show:
Well, the obvious answer is Hamlet, but I think that’s boring. The more fun, off-the-wall answer is Richard II.
How did you end up on the board of the Canon Shakespeare Company?
I helped found it. This was my idea—I’m sorry, everybody.
We started as a small group of friends getting coffee and talking about Shakespeare, and that evolved into wanting to put on a show, so we became a company.
Why is the Canon important to you?
Because I really hate how “exclusive” people treat Shakespeare. I think it’s important that we make Shakespeare more inclusive, and I think part of that is making a space where actors feel like they can connect with it on their own terms, and that’s a big part of what we do at the Canon.
Ask the Experts
Have a burning Shakespeare question you haven’t been able to figure out? Reach out to us at company@canonpdx.org with the subject line “Ask the Expert,” and your question may be addressed in our next issue by our own panel of *very qualified* experts.
The Canon Shakespeare Company is a 501c3 nonprofit. Our mission: to enrich, educate and entertain the community through any and all things Shakespeare, and to unite the community through Shakespeare’s works, celebrating humanity in all its forms and connecting people with stories everyone can relate to. Copyright 2026, Canon Shakespeare Company. All rights reserved.