Since 1993, the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s education touring program – Shakespeare in the Schools – has brought professional theatre performances to schools and communities across the state of Utah and the Intermountain West. Our mission is to meet students where they are, and provide everyone with the opportunity to access and create theatre.

The tour is offered FREE to all Utah public and public charter schools thanks to funding from the State of Utah. At-cost and discounted rates are available for private schools, public venues, and out-of-state locations. The tour offers either a 75-minute fully produced performance of one of Shakespeare’s plays, or an interactive 45-minute assembly designed for elementary audiences that explores elements of theatre and Shakespeare. Included in the experience are post-performance talkbacks and educational workshops.

In 2024:

Hamlet

“This above all else…To thine own self be true”

Our touring company of nine professional theatre artists and educators is returning to schools this winter to bring one of the world’s most recognized plays to K-12 students across the Intermountain West!

Hamlet will tour February 1st - April 20th, 2024. 

This production of Hamlet will highlight themes of authenticity and reality under the ever-scrutinizing eye of the media and societal expectations. Hamlet’s ongoing search for truth and his enduring question – To be, or not to be? –  offers extraordinary relevance for today’s young people: How do we know what is true, or whom to trust? Upon what sources can we rely? Do we choose to be the person society expects of us – the avenging son, the dutiful daughter, the good student, etc. – or not to be that which is expected, and to instead chart our own path? Maintaining Shakespeare’s text (in a shortened version) invites students of all ages to explore these questions through the eloquence and possibility of heightened language. And there are sword fights!

The tour is currently fully booked. To request a place on the wait-list, or if you have any questions, please reach out to us at:

Email: USFEducation@bard.org

Phone: 435-865-8333

Study Guide & Teacher Toolkit

Check out the Study Guide linked below for added context, resources, discussion questions, and interactive classroom lesson plans to extend learning beyond the tour’s one day in your school!

Artists

The touring company consists of a tour manager, a stage manager, and seven actors. Get to know our company!

Program

If you’d like to take a look a program for our production, click below!

Photos

Enjoy photos of our current Shakespeare in the School tour!