A Company of Fools is Ottawa’s only independent professional Shakespeare company. We are a not-for-profit incorporation and a registered charity. We provide programming all year round.

The mandate of the Fools is to produce innovative, entertaining and accessible shows based on the works of William Shakespeare. We produce both collage pieces, made up of scenes from Shakespeare’s works, and full-length plays. We are a physical theatre company and use the techniques of Clown, Commedia Del’arte, Mask, Puppetry, Vaudeville and Slapstick. We are unique in that we use these tools in conjunction with a strong understanding of text and a desire to tell Shakespeare’s stories in as clear and entertaining a manner as possible.

The mandate for the Torchlight Shakespeare series, our outdoor summer event, is to bring full length productions of the works of William Shakespeare to Ottawa City Parks at the always affordable “pass-the-hat” donation price. As Ottawa’s only professional summer Shakespeare troupe, a Company of Fools provides a valuable arts and culture experience to the region. We provide both residents and visitors to the Nation’s Capital with an accessible outdoor Shakespeare experience.

Since 1990, (making us the third-oldest professional theatre company still operating out of Canada's capital!), a Company of Fools has been performing the works of William Shakespeare like you've never seen them before. Fun, fast and furious, the Fools brand of physical theatre brings the bard to life. Whether you'd consider yourself a Shakespeare snob or even if you despise the very name of Shakespeare, you'll find something to like about the unique style of the Fools as we move the bard off the page and into your hearts!