Our Mission
The Boise Bard Players is a nonprofit theatre company making Shakespeare and other classics affordable and emotionally accessible to everyone in the Treasure Valley and beyond.
We perform in unconventional locations like breweries, parks, and historical locations, bringing local talent to local venues—right in the heart of our community.
Who Are We?
The Boise Bard Players is a 501(c)(3), minimalist theatre company, specializing in Shakespeare’s works, making them accessible and relevant to today’s audiences.
We believe the transformative magic of these plays lies in their language, not in extravagant sets and costumes. By performing in nontraditional settings like breweries and backyards, we break the stereotype that Shakespeare is only for the educated, proving his works are timeless and universal.
What Do We Do?
We partner with local venues and artists to bring Shakespeare and other classical work to as much of the Treasure Valley community as we can. Our seasons consist of three productions a year, with a touring summer show that has previously found its way to Caldwell, Nampa, Star and Mountain Home.
We strip down Shakespeare’s text to understand the meaning before our artists embody their roles. This allows our actors to truly know what they are saying, and our audiences to understand the stories better.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
The Boise Bard Players creates theater for everyone regardless of age, ethnicity, income, education level, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ideology, or ability. We show our commitment to these values through the artists we hire, the plays we produce, and the venues we collaborate with.
Our Philosophy
The Boise Bard Players’ goal is to eventually produce the entire Shakespearean canon (we’ve done 19 out of 36), while also including classic plays from other eras that continue to speak to the spirit of the Treasure Valley. In Shakespeare’s three dozen plays, he captured human nature in a way no one has before or since. We know we do not need to reinvent the wheel, but simply rediscover the ways that those who came before us saw the world.
Through The Boise Bard Players’ productions, residents of the Treasure Valley will discover that while the worlds of Shakespeare and other classic playwrights appear very different from our own, people always have, and always will, be people.
The Leading Players
MEET OUR STAFF
Tris Berg
Artistic Director
Tris (She/They) is a professional actor and theater artist whose career has taken her all over the country, in a myriad of capacities, but she is greatly warmed to have found a home working in her hometown of Boise, Idaho. She has joined BBP for eight productions! You might’ve also seen her working locally in various capacities with Alley Rep., ISF Edu., The Pro-Voice Project, BCT, and Address Book. When not on stage, she loves cooking, writing, and being an absolute nerd whenever she can.
Sam Murphy
Managing Director
Sam (they/them) has worked with BBP since they played Tom Snout (and Wall) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2021. They have experience in theatre education, performance, intimacy coordination, and directing. In their tiny amounts of free time they enjoy playing video games, eating bread, and reading fantasy novels.
Tiffany Eller
Marketing Director
Tiffany (she/they) brings a wealth of experience in theatre marketing and entertainment events. She has a passion for creating spaces for people to express themselves and inviting others into the excitement of her endeavors. Tiffany’s work focuses on developing and promoting BBP’s various events. She is dedicated to getting artists paid for their work and bringing the theatre arts to as many people as possible. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, playing Sims, and playing with her daughter, Henley.
Dakotah Brown
Education Director
Dakotah (he/they) is a founding member of The Boise Bard Players, BBP actor and director, and is a consummate teaching artist. He has taught for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise Contemporary Theater, and Hall International Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of California, Santa Barbara. He heads up our Shakespeare Live! Theater Workshop program.
MEET OUR BOARD
Richard Mussler-Wright
Board President
Justin Tharpe
Secretary
Tiffany Eller
Treasurer
Chris Canfield
Former Artistic Director
Dalton Mace
Paul Rodgers
Erin Chancer
Previous Productions
Empowering Idaho Through Theatre
The Boise Bard Players is committed to hiring local artists and making classical theatre accessible to Idahoans from all walks of life.
We partner with local venues, schools, and interest groups to bring our work to the farthest reaches of our community, providing lectures, workshops, and productions.
While we hire professional artists and strive to pay them a living wage, we also provide opportunities for community volunteers to become involved at many levels of our process. It is the vision of The Boise Bard Players to be an intersection of professional artistry and community engagement.
Our History
The Boise Bard Players’ journey began in 2013 with Chris Canfield’s vision to bring Shakespeare’s intensity and artistry to Boise, sparked by a visit to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London.
Chris came back to Idaho ready to produce Macbeth in 2014, and has expanded our repertoire over the years across nontraditional venues like The Bishops’ House, Mad Swede Brewing, and the Old Idaho Penitentiary.
The Boise Bard Players achieved nonprofit status in 2018 and has continued to grow exponentially since. We’ve produced over 16 productions, and have sold out 100-person audiences, as well as an entire production run. In 2023, Hamlet at the Old Penitentiary broke $10,000 in revenue.
Timeline
- 2013 — Chris sees Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London.
- 2014 — Chris and friends produce Macbeth at the Crux.
- 2015 — Dakotah Brown joins the fray as co-director of Julius Caesar at Postmodern Brewers.
- 2016 — As You Like It at Payette Brewing.
- 2017 — Much Ado About Nothing at MING Studios, and The Winter’s Tale at Mad Swede Brewing.
- 2018 — BBP achieves nonprofit status, and produces Taming of the Shrew at Handlebar, and Twelfth Night at Powderhaus Brewing.
- 2019 — First annual gala raises over $1,700, BBP produces Richard III and The Tempest, touring to Mountain Home for the first time.
- 2020 — Second annual gala raises over $3,000, Antony & Cleopatra closes the day before the shutdown.
- 2021 — BBP returns with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tiffany Eller joins as managing director.
- 2022 — Third annual gala raises over $4,000, BBP produces Romeo & Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and All’s Well That Ends Well.
- 2023 — Fourth annual gala raises over $8,600, BBP produces Hamlet at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, The Importance of Being Earnest, and sells out the whole run of Measure for Measure.
- 2024 — Fifth annual gala raises over $10,000, BBP produces Macbeth at Surel’s Place in Garden City and Cymbeline across the Treasure Valley
- 2025 — BBP produces its largest season yet, with The Servant of Two Masters, Love’s Labours’ Lost, and Othello, reaching over 1,600 Idahoans.
- 2026 — BBP produces its first “barroom Shakespeare”, Much Ado About Nothing, tours The Tempest to Cascade and McCall for the first time, and collaborates with The Luminary Theatre Company to devise a modern adaptation of Euripides’ Medea with The Medea Project. Tris Berg and Sam Murphy join as Artistic and Managing Directors, respectively.
