ShepardFest: Honoring the Life and Work of Sam Shepard

Buried Child

Experience a full-scale production of Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama directed by Mary Claire Branton and featuring leading Jacksonville-area actors. First produced in 1978, Buried Child explores family secrets, generational trauma, and the myths that shape American families.

Kicking a Dead Horse

Watch a staged reading featuring ShepardFest Artistic Director Raines Carr and Brooke West Carr. The play follows Hobart Struther, a wealthy New York art dealer who abandons his comfortable life in pursuit of authenticity in the American West, only to find himself stranded in the desert beside his dead horse.

Special Guest: Robert M. Dowling

Meet one of the world's foremost Sam Shepard scholars. Dowling, author of Coyote: The Dramatic Lives of Sam Shepard, will participate in talkbacks, discussions, and book signings throughout the festival.

In partnership with the St. Augustine Film Festival, ShepardFest presents screenings of:

• Thunderheart — a dramatic thriller inspired by events surrounding the 1973 Wounded Knee incident.
• Days of Heaven — Terrence Malick's visually stunning film portraying life in early twentieth-century America.

Founded in St. Augustine, ShepardFest celebrates the enduring impact of Sam Shepard's work on American theatre and culture. The festival combines professional performances, scholarship, and community engagement to create a unique experience for theatre enthusiasts, students, artists, and lifelong learners. St. Augustine's rich history, storytelling traditions, and vibrant arts community provide an ideal setting for exploring the themes of memory, identity, family, and place that define Shepard's work.