Shakespeare in Detroit (SiD), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, pioneered the first open-air production of Shakespeare in the park in Detroit proper – and with an all-local cast – in August 2013 with Othello at Grand Circus Park.​ SiD has engaged with more than 25,000 audience members from several social locations from the city and from outside of Detroit, serving as a cultural commons for all people.

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The company finds it imperative to produce exciting, live productions of Shakespeare’s works at various sites throughout the city – from traditional theatres to nontraditional spaces – to give access to both new and conventional theatre audiences, while highlighting Detroit’s vast array of historical structures, venues and parks. This site-specific template has created a movement of new audiences for classical theatre in the city of Detroit and challenged the status quo as it concerns Shakespeare’s canon.