The mission of Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre is to provide high-quality Shakespearean and classical theatre productions; to actively contribute to the Fairbanks arts community; to deepen appreciation of, and expand and diversify the audience for, Shakespearean and classic theatre in Interior Alaska, particularly among young people; to encourage and support young people in performing Shakespeare; and to build the capacity of Alaskans to perform Shakespeare and classical theatre.

Since an initial 1992 performance alongside the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre has grown into a year-round producing and international-touring theatre company. FST has expanded beyond summer performances to include outreach to Boys’ and Girls’ clubs, assisted-living residences, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, and youth detention centers, as well as countless performances for K-12 students  throughout Alaska. The cornerstone of FST’s education and outreach program is "Bard-a-Thon," a 24-hour-a-day, weeklong reading of the complete works of Shakespeare. Since 2000, this free event has drawn hundreds of people together during the cold Alaskan winter to give voice to Shakespeare’s words.

We believe in cultivating a love for the arts at an early age, and we are doing everything in our power to make the words of Shakespeare accessible to our youth. In recent years this has taken the form of three youth theatre camps, 'Springlings' (for ages 9-18 over spring break), 'Groundlings' (for 13-18 year-olds during the summer) and 'Fledglings' (for 9-12 year-olds concurrent with Groundlings.) Students at the camp learn about Shakespeare and theatre craft, and each camp culminates in a staging of an abridged Shakespeare work.