Shakespeare in the Ruff is an outdoor theatre company that performs every summer in Toronto's East End, in beautiful Withrow Park. We are dedicated to decolonizing the Shakespearean canon by challenging who creates these stories, and who they are for. Our Five Key Values are Creative Audacity, Education, Anti-Racism and Decolonized Practice, Respect, and Accessibility.

In our work, we:

- Create original, radical adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, seeking to flip the Eurocentric, colonial gaze and give a platform to marginalized voices;

- Push the boundaries of form and content for outdoor theatre.

- Lead integrated education programs, providing hands-on, one-on-one mentorship with professional artists;

- Offer our programming for free or pay-what-you-can, ensuring financial accessibility for everyone. 

- Provide a menu of access options available to all audience members at every performance, including: Open Captioning, Description Buddies, Street-to-Seat Guides, Pre-show Touch Tours, and expanded seating areas for mobility devices;

- Provide on-site childcare to artist-parents working our our mainstage summer productions;

- Curate a book club (Ruff Reads), a podcast (Ruff Radio), and an annual indoor Winter performance (Ruff's Winter Tale).