Denice Hicks has been working for The Nashville Shakespeare Festival since 1990, and has held the position of Artistic Director since 2005. She has edited, directed and performed in over 50 Shakespearean productions, developed workshops for students of all ages, and created the Festival’s Apprentice Company Training and Shakespeare Allowed programming. Denice was an original company member of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and was among the founders of both the Darkhorse Theater and of People’s Branch Theatre. An Ingram Fellowship award winner, her work has been praised by the Tennessean, Nashville Scene, and BroadwayWorld.com, among other publications. She has been a guest lecturer at many universities and is currently serving on the advisory panel for Tennessee State University and Lipscomb University. She was honored to sit on a review panel for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, and as a guest lecturer with the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad program in Stratford-Upon-Avon and London. In 2014, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival was chosen as one of 14 North American Shakespeare theaters to be included in the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK) documentary and book on Shakespeare in America. The Nashville Scene named her one of the "Twenty-five Nashvillians who've shaped the city for the better since 1989." Denice Hicks will step down as Executive Artistic Director in September 2024 after over 30 years with the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. We are thrilled to be honoring her leadership and artistry during this year’s Midsummer Night!