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Boscobel Congratulates Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival on its New Home

August 26th, 2020

Historic House Museum Enters New Era

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Garrison, NY – August 2020) – Boscobel House and Gardens offers congratulations to its longstanding tenant, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, for finding a permanent home at a nearby location off-site. Boscobel has invited HVSF back in 2021 for a farewell season to celebrate the decades-long collaboration and the audiences who supported it.

“No one knows better than Boscobel what an extraordinary gift it is to be given a permanent home,” says Boscobel Executive Director Jennifer Carlquist. “Without the gift of our Garrison site by Lila Acheson Wallace, Boscobel would merely be a footnote in history as New York’s most beautiful—but demolished—house. Along with the security of site ownership came deep community roots, ever-evolving inspiration from history and nature, and the pragmatism that landscape stewardship demands. We are thrilled for HVSF to be given a place of their own and can’t wait to cheer them on as neighbors.”

Boscobel—famous for its stunning views of the Hudson River, restored Neoclassical mansion, world-class decorative arts, and community programs such as its Independence Day Symphony Picnic— first welcomed Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival to perform on-site in 1988. Since that time, HVSF has grown from a single show with a portable backdrop in 1988 to 80+ performances for up to 540 patrons each night and a complex of structures in place from April into early September.

In recent years, Boscobel’s programming has also expanded, and the museum is welcoming an ever-growing, younger audience. Boscobel had been in discussion with HVSF since 2018 on modifying the site to best accommodate the two institutions; HVSF’s decision to relocate opens up enormous opportunities for both.

Carlquist sums it up: “Boscobel applauds the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for sharing their creativity and talent here for three decades. Their decision to relocate frees Boscobel to focus every effort on planning for our next act—an exciting, collaborative process to reimagine Boscobel for its next 60 years.”