FALL & WINTER SEASON
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
October 30th and 31st, 2020
Free, with a donation option
This H.G. Wells drama will be performed as a radio play, the original format performed by Mercury Theatre on the Air. When sent out over the airwaves in 1938, the recording was so vivid it brought panic to the listeners, thinking there was an actual martian invasion.
RADIO PLAY REP
December 11th through the holiday season
Free, with a donation option
'Tis the season to be nostalgic! This year we will be re-broadcasting two radio dramas that we have recorded in recent years. Productions of A Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th Street will be shared for your listening pleasure.
BEFORE THE CURTAIN RISES
Spring 2021
$100 to enroll, FREE for students and educators
Escape into the world of theatre for a behind the scenes look at the Texas Shakespeare Festival's 2021 season. This course will introduce the craft of theatre to curious patrons and allow you to have a deeply enriching experience as you take in the summer productions. For the first time ever, we are offering this as a virtual course for patrons near and far.
SPRING & SUMMER SEASON
THE
ROADSHOW
Spring 2021
Hamlet
Directed by: Matthew Simpson
Much Ado About Nothing
Directed by: Meaghan Simpson
The Texas Shakespeare Festival Roadshow is a traveling set of performances and workshops that come to your school or community. Call now to book a performance of Hamlet or Much Ado About Nothing and with it you'll receive:
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an in-depth study guide about the play
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a four-week lesson plan to implement leading up to the performance
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an exercise and activity booklet to implement leading up to the performance
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
July 1st-July 31st
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Deb Alley
"Wives may be merry...and yet honest too."
This comic romp, featuring the beloved character John Falstaff, takes you on a journey of courtship and the jealous havoc it wreaks. When Falstaff attempts to seduce the wives of two wealthy men of Windsor using identical love letters he is discovered and much confusion ensues. Equal parts farce and true domestic comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor will leave you feeling like Falstaff when he muses: “O powerful love, that in some respects makes a beast a man, in some other a man a beast.”
THE BOOK
OF WILL
July 2nd-July 31st
Written by: Lauren Gunderson
Directed by: Michael Jenkinson
“No one can help the passing of time or friends.”
The year is 1620 and two of William Shakespeare’s dearest friends and fellow actors, John Heminges and Henry Condell, are mourning the loss of their beloved friend and playwright. Deeper than their mourning is a fear that Shakespeare’s plays will not be passed down accurately and completely. In an effort to honor their friend and reward future generations, they set about to publish a single bound volume of his works called the First Folio. This effort comes with tremendous challenges and incredible triumphs and many laughs and tears along the way. The commitment required to achieve this harrowing task reminds us all that when you believe in something, it is worth preserving.
ROMEO &
JULIET
July 3rd-August 1st
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: James Dean Palmer
“From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”
Two households. Young lovers. Bad timing. Feuding families. Rushed wedding. Missed messages. This romantic tragedy is one that we all know in our bones. It is the play that William Shakespeare is most famous for and the story that has been adapted and re-produced more than any of his plays. Although we know the outcome, the fast-paced race to get there makes for a thrilling ride of love, honor, and the unfortunate ending where children teach their parents what really matters in life.
THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
July 4th-August 1st
Book by: Marsha Norman
Music and Lyrics by: Jason Robert Brown
Directed by: Michael Jenkinson
“It all fades away… but you.”
Based on Robert James Waller's 1992 novel, The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of the day a blue pick-up truck carrying National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid rolls up to the home of Francesca Johnson. He is there to photograph the covered bridges, but his presence dramatically changes their lives. Featuring a sweepingly romantic Tony Award winning score, the music will move you deeply and stay with you long after you leave the theatre.
THE GNOMES OF GNOT-A-HILL
July 21st-July 31st
Written by: Grace Abele & DJ Canaday
Directed by: Michael Jenkinson
Deep in the forests of yesteryear
At the peak of Gnot-a-Hill,
Lie secrets and wondrous sights to behold
Which are certain to charm and thrill.
A play about playing and kidding and kids.
Adventure before your own eyes.
We’d be more specific ‘bout what it’s about,
But no, that would spoil the surprise.
There’s magic, and mayhem, and fun for all ages.
A legend with mysteries solved live on our stages.
All humans are welcome, from pauper to high born,
So, come see what’s happening inside the Van Cliburn!
We promise you laughter.
We promise good memories.
We assure you of zero distortions.
The best things in life are most often quite little,
Like pranksters of pint-sized proportions.