he Underground Shakespeare Company was founded in January 2001 by Akiva Fox and Nigel Caplan at the University of Pennsylvania. Our mission is to produce high quality, no-nonsense plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. We use a variety of approaches to bring the plays alive, and to break down the barriers between actors and audience.

The Underground Shakespeare Company is resident at Harnwell College House, and usually performs in their beautiful Rooftop Lounge. From this comfortable lounge, 25 stories above the ground, the audience is treated to a panoramic view of Philadelphia, helping to create the fun, informal atmosphere which characterizes our group.

The Undergroundlings are a company of players - we have no committees or hierarchies, and we do not distinguish between actors in principal or secondary roles, musicians and techies. We all work together on all aspects of the production, and have a lot of fun in the process. Our philosophy calls for short rehearsal periods which stress the meaning of the text. The result is an authentic, organic performance.

As a company, we choose plays to perform and projects to undertake. We are an amateur student group, and we just want to put on plays that we enjoy preparing and that audiences enjoy watching.

How to get involved
Company auditions for actors, musicians and technical crew will be held before each production, and will announced on this web-site, on email listservs and on posters around the Penn campus. Please check here for details of our next production.

Join our e-mailing list!
If you would like to be added to our electronic mailing list which we will use to announce auditions and performances, please email us at Info@undergroundshakespeare.com

The Underground Shakespeare Company welcomes members from throughout the Penn community: undergraduates, graduates, visiting scholars and anyone remotely affiliated to this or any other local university.

Yemisi Ana.

Rachel Aronson thought she had finished with the Underground Shakespeare Company when she graduated last May. However, our laywers had drawn up an iron clad contract which Ms. Aronson was foolish enough to sign. She is now committed to appear in a variety of command performances and the Underground Shakespeare Company owns the copywrite and trademark on her name and likeness. Look for Underground Shaekspeare Company's "Dress Me Up Aronson" dolls this Christmas.