American Shakespeare Center

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related to Shakespeare, like James Goldman's The Lion in Winter and Bob Carlton's Return to the Forbidden Planet.

The ASC is notable for its theatre, the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world's first recreation of the original indoor Blackfriars Theatre in London that was demolished in 1655. As a theater company, the ASC produces 8-9 shows per year with a repertory company at its Blackfriars Playhouse. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ASC also had a touring company that performed both at the Blackfriars and at other locations around the country. The ASC also provides a year-round laboratory for students and scholars through education programming in Staunton and on the road.