upstart crow collective (ucc) was co-founded by Betsy Schwartz, Kate Wisniewski and Rosa Joshi in 2006. Our mission is to produce classical plays with racially diverse casts of women and non-binary people, re-imagining these works for a contemporary audience. ucc’s work is text centered, highly physical and visually imaginative, and our process centers the experiences of women in the world. We create opportunities for cis gendered women, trans women, and non-binary people as part of our commitment to include artists who have been traditionally marginalized by the very male Shakespearean canon. ucc’s inaugural production in 2006 was King John and we are thrilled to have revisited this play first at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2022 and now here at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. Past productions include Titus Andronicus; Richard III co-produced with Seattle Shakespeare Company (SSC); Bring Down the House, originally produced with SSC and then again with OSF. ucc is grateful to all the artists who have worked with us throughout the years and gives special thanks to our core group of donors:

Robin Wechkin and Bill Bolosky
Paul and Paula Butzi
Bill and Rae Saltzstein
Dick and Elaine Sweet
Patrick O'Kelley
Kathleen Quinn
Steve and Pricilla Weaver