Our Organization
Boston Shakespeare Project was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2012, offering Shakespeare-focused traveling performances and after-school theater arts programs for elementary and middle school students in the Greater Boston area.
In 2019, we expanded our educational offerings to include non-Shakespearean writing programs (“City Lights Writing”) for local high school students. As a result, we changed our legal name from “Boston Shakespeare Project” to “City Lights” in 2022 to better reflect the diversity of our creative youth development programs.
Please click below to visit our organization’s new website and to learn more about our complete program offerings; our leadership, staff, volunteers, and youth participants; and how to get involved.
Our Mission
Boston Shakespeare Project provides arts and humanities enrichment programs for Greater Boston's underserved youth. We strive to promote a spirit of community and collaboration between local schools and universities, using Shakespeare as a bridge to connect young students with our teaching artists and undergraduate near peers.
Our programs are designed to
Offer early, exciting encounters with Shakespeare in text and performance
Enrich language arts learning
Strengthen critical thinking and writing skills
Foster 21st-century skills such as communication and collaboration
Inspire creativity and build confidence
Promote a spirit of mentorship and civic engagement on college campuses
Inspire young students on the path to higher education
Our Impact
Our programs reach over 2,000 students each year.
To date, over 80% of the students we serve qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Only 5% of the students in our audiences have ever seen a live Shakespeare performance.
After our shows, 95% of students want to see more plays and learn more about Shakespeare.
100% of teachers surveyed believe our programs offer an exciting and enriching context for the language arts work they do in the classroom.
100% of after-school participants report feeling more connected to their peers.
90% of after-school participants report feeling more confident about public speaking and presentation skills.
90% of after-school participants report improved reading comprehension skills.
100% of after-school participants feel more confident and enthusiastic about studying Shakespeare's poetry and plays in school.
Our after-school programs offer young students sustained exposure to mentors who model intellectual curiosity, strength of character, and a passionate engagement in the arts.
“Boston Shakespeare Project is what excellence in education is all about.”
