BC Theater Program Celebrates Record-Breaking Success at 41st Annual Kern Shakespeare Festival

10/23/25
several actors in costume performing during Kern Shakespeare Festival

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Photos courtesy of Riss Halbwachs (All's Well That Ends Well) and BC Performing Arts (Much Ado About Nothing)

The Bakersfield College Theater Program hosted the 41st Annual Kern Shakespeare Festival in the Edward Simonsen Performing Arts Center throughout the first two weeks of October. This year’s festival featured two Shakespearean productions – the beloved comedy Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Professor Brian Sivesind and his wife Ellie Sivesind; and the romantic comedy All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Professor Cody Ganger.

The Shakespeare Festival has always been a well-attended event, but the 2025 offering was truly a box office smash! By the festival’s conclusion, it achieved record-breaking attendance and sales, making it the most successful event in the last five years. Much Ado About Nothing was the single best-selling production in that time period. It is the first performance to sell more than 600 tickets, with a total of 667 sold.

The production of All’s Well That Ends Well was also a rousing success. It sold more than 360 tickets, making it the best-selling Kern Shakespeare Festival production hosted in the Black Box Theater, nearly doubling the ticket sales from last year’s production of How To Defend Yourself. It stands alone as the best-selling production of any play in the Black Box Theater’s history, not just the Kern Shakespeare Festival! The final tally was 1,031 tickets sold for the entire event – a truly historical milestone for the festival and for the BC Theater Program.

We extend our sincere thanks to all who purchased tickets and contributed to making this one of the most successful Kern Shakespeare Festivals to date. Also, a huge thank you to the directors, actors, writers, set designers, costume designers, sound technicians, lighting technicians, and everyone else who put countless hours into these incredible productions. The success and accolades are well deserved!

three actors on stage during live performance
three actors with law enforcement costumes during performance

Three male actors, in costume, sitting at a bar

female actress holding a piece of paper during Alls well that ends well performance
three musicians performing during production; one playing a trumpet, another playing a cello
female actress wearing a black dress while performing on stage
male actor sitting alone on stage during performance

several male actors standing close together during important scene

two actors sitting at a table during Kern Shakespeare Festival live performance
female actress performing in BC's black box theater

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