Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen form Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, a professional traveling troupe. SSE opens Richard III and tours VA.In May, SSE embarks on its first spring tour, taking The Taming of the Shrew to DE, PA, VT, NH, and NY.SSE moves to a repertory format and performs Julius Caesar at the annual meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America in Philadelphia.SSE's first summer season features an extended Valley Season in Harrisonburg, VA, and extended runs in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy funds SSE's first grant award, "Bringing Shakespeare Home - A Seminar for Teachers."



A sold-out run on the Elizabethan stage at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. is followed by SSE's first overseas tour:  two weeks at the Shakespeare Globe Museum in London, two weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. The National Endowment for the Arts awards general operating support.The Washington Post and The Boston Globe print rave reviews of SSE shows. The company performs at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.SSE makes its first visit to Canada with a weeklong residency at the University of Ottawa. The Virginia Commission for the Arts awards general-operating support.