Regency Ball is Coming

Back by popular demand, you are cordially invited to attend a delightful evening of elegance, charm, and revelry at the Festival’s Regency Ball. Join us Thursday, July 17, from 5 to 7pm, following the matinee performance of The Importance of Being Earnest. This special event, hosted by Festival board member Andrea Golding, will take place in the stunning Gilbert Great Hall on the campus of Southern Utah University.

Step into the refined world of the early 19th century as guests learn authentic Regency-era dances, enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, and celebrate in the spirit of a bygone era—one that might have shaped Lady Bracknell in her youth. (Yes, we know Earnest is set in a later period, but surely even Oscar Wilde would agree: any excuse for a ball is a good one.)

Formal or themed attire is not required, but it is most enthusiastically encouraged—dust off your gowns, cravats, and gloves if you wish to embrace the full experience.

Tickets are $50 and may be purchased online (click here) or by contacting the Ticket Office at (800) PLAYTIX. Don’t miss this enchanting Festival tradition!

Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise First Look

Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise previews on July 11, officially opens July 12, and runs through October 4 in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre. Members of our artistic teams have been busy behind the scenes—designing the hair, makeup, and costumes that transform each performer seen here in this first glimpse.

Costume design by Jeffrey Lieder. Hair and Makeup by Fox Snead. All photos by Karl Hugh.

Tickets available at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Dear Friend

By Ryan Paul, guest writer and Festival Orientation/Seminar Moderator

Summer 2025

Dear Friend,

I hope this message finds you well. They say that letter writing is a lost art, and you know how I feel about losing things, so I thought I would give it a try. I ran into an old friend, Ken Ludwig, you may remember seeing one of his plays on one of our many summer excursions to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. In 2016 we saw his adaptation of The Three Musketeers and in 2007 we enjoyed the rousing musical adaptation of his Tony Award-winning Lend Me a Tenor.

As Ken and I were catching up, I mentioned my recent visit to London where I had seen the WWII-themed musical Operation Mincemeat and the song that I could not get out of my head, with the line “Why did we have to meet in the middle of a war? What a silly thing to do.” Excitedly, he told me that he had written a play along those same lines, titled Dear Jack, Dear Louise. The play chronicles the fictionalized meeting of his parents during WWII. His father was a military doctor from Pennsylvania and his mother was a showgirl from Brooklyn. His parents “met through letters, courted through letters, and finally his father proposed by letter.” He mentioned that a play written as “a series of letters during World War II seemed like one truthful way to express their unique and wonderful relationship.”

In the play, the two characters, Jack and Louise, begin corresponding at the request of their fathers. The play and their relationship unfolds through their letters. As they begin to learn more about each other and the challenges of trying to meet in person during the war, their relationship grows, and of course, is tested, and not just by distance. Through their correspondence, we get to meet a variety of other characters including roommates, family members, and military officers. Each of these people help define the relationship between the two letter writers. 

As Jack and Louise continue their correspondence, the writing moves from formality to a closeness that belies the fact that they have never met in person. This thought has me pondering the meaning of connection. In our modern society, one of digital and sometimes impersonal communication, what does it mean to connect with someone? Sure, we can look them up on social media, but how true is that really?

There is visceral and physical impact of putting pen to paper, but, I suppose, there is still the lingering notion that my message to you could be read by somebody else. Unlike our conversations in the Seminar Grove, letters––while meant to be private––rarely are. I wonder if John and Abigail Adams or Harry and Bess Truman ever thought that their private letters would be published for anyone to read?

It seems to me the notion that we as the audience are “listening in” to the private conversations of Jack and Louise and are hoping and rooting for their success, even when it looks as if it may never happen, is an intentional way of connecting us to the story of these two young people who met in the middle of a war. As Ken was describing the play I had a sudden realization that I had never really thought much about the youth of my own parents, that they were young once. What a love letter Ken has created to his parents who were married over 50 years!

Imagine my surprise when I found out that our beloved Utah Shakespeare Festival is producing Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise this summer in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre. This is a perfect space for this play! In other exciting news John DiAntonio and Caitlin Wise, who performed as Petruchio and Katherina in last season’s The Taming of the Shrew have been cast as Jack and Louise. What fun it will be to see them together again on the stage. (And a bonus: they are real-life husband and wife too!)

As you know, I devoutly believe that both history and theatre are intimately connected. Ultimately, they are both about story, those things that motivate us, connect us, and bind us together as a wonderfully diverse and expanding society. Please, my friend, let us continue our story this summer at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I hope to see you in the Grove and as always, in the words of the great American poet Bill Withers, “I wish you well.”

Yours, 

Ryan

P.S. References to a friendship with Ken Ludwig are fictional and used for dramatic purposes. This is the theatre after all. -R.P.

Steel Magnolias First Look

Steel Magnolias previewed on June 21, officially opened on June 28, and runs through October 4 at the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Members of our artistic teams had about seven weeks to prepare this show for audiences, designing the wigs (so many wigs!), makeup, and costumes that transform each performer seen here in these studio photos.

Steel Magnolias costume design by Lauren Roark. Wigmaster Dana Rochester. Assistant wigmaster Brittany McDowell. All photos by Karl Hugh.

See the rest of their work on our Randall L. Jones stage this season. Tickets available at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.

Steel Magnolias: Exploring Humor and Self-Expression to Cope with Difficulties

By Liz Armstrong, guest writer

Theatre has long been a form of expression that captures the essence of the human experience. Since possibly as early as 2500 BCE, it has been a way to help both performers and audiences cope with the challenges and difficulties of life.

But the creation and writing of a play itself can be just as therapeutic. This is especially true for playwright Robert Harling with his play, Steel Magnolias. For him, writing the play served as a cathartic process while he struggled to cope with the passing of a loved one. 

In 1985, Harling’s sister Susan Harling-Robinson passed away from diabetic complications after the birth of her son, and the transplant failure of a family-donated kidney.

Harling’s friend encouraged him to write to help him come to terms with the death of his sister. The playwright not only did this to help process his own grief, but hoped it would give his nephew an understanding of his deceased mother.

“I desperately needed to celebrate [my sister], my mother, and the loving community of neighborhood ladies that had supported them through good times and bad,” Harling wrote for Garden and Gun.

He was an actor at the time, and what originally was going to be a short story developed into a play, where Harling explored themes of coping. Through the play, he illustrates the various ways in which the characters deal with the hardships they encounter. 

Set in a hair salon, the women of Steel Magnolias share their lives and laughter with each other. 

“I don’t trust anybody that does their own hair. I don’t think it’s normal,” Truvy, a character in Steel Magnolias, says. 

This humor was based on Harling’s own sister. 

“She had an ability to turn a phrase that could make you laugh and cry at the same time,” Harling said.

The characters in Steel Magnolias lean on humor throughout the play as a coping mechanism, representing what Harling’s own family did before and after Susan’s death.

“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion,” Truvy says*.* According to Harling, it seems that was Susan’s favorite emotion too. 

Written in just ten days, the play not only served to honor Harling’s sister, but lives on as a symbol of resilience for all those who experience the story. It portrays the indomitable tool of using humor, love, and friendship to find the strength to move forward, especially when doing so seems impossible. 

The play has shown its own form of resilience, with people still quoting, performing, and enjoying it nearly 40 years later. 

One of Harling’s most famous quotes from Steel Magnolias is: “I’d rather have 30 minutes of wonderful, than a lifetime of nothing special.” 

Originally opening off-Broadway, the national tour launched in 1989 and hit the West End in London the same year.

In 2005, Steel Magnolias made its Broadway debut. It was also adapted for the well-known film of the same name, starring Julia Roberts, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as the character Shelby. Steel Magnolias was adapted again as a film in 2012. 

Since its debut, Harling said that he knows of seventeen authorized translations of the play, having seen it performed in Japanese, Chinese, French, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian, demonstrating its ability to transcend languages and cultures. 

One thing Harling has learned throughout the popularity of his work: beauty parlors are universal. But even more universal, though, is the theme of the strength of female friendships and humor despite all odds.

To see this touching play, visit bard.org to purchase tickets. Steel Magnolias opened June 28 and runs through October 4 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Opens 64th Season

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the opening of its 64th season. After months of preparations and six weeks of an intensive build process and rehearsal schedule, the Festival welcomes patrons to experience another wonderful season of live theatre, now through October 4. 

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a professional theatre, hosted on the campus of Southern Utah University and was started in 1961 by the late Fred C. Adams and his wife Barbara. 

“Fred will always be remembered as a passionate visionary who saw Cedar City and the university (College of Southern Utah at the time) as an ideal home for a world-class theatre,” says Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr. “Because of the town’s history with putting on plays, its connection to the works of William Shakespeare, and its location near some of the most beautiful recreation destinations in the country, Fred knew the Festival could be a thrilling addition to the campus and community.” 

Today, with a year-round administrative staff of 30, a seasonal staff of over 200 theatre professionals, and a volunteer base of 350 local residents, the Festival welcomes over 100,000 guests to the annual productions each year. 

From Shakespearean masterpieces to laugh-out-loud comedies and modern favorites, this season offers something for everyone. The lineup includes William Shakespeare’s dark and tragic Macbeth, the historical romance (and rarely-performed) Antony and Cleopatra, and the pastoral comedy As You Like It in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. 

In the beautiful indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre, audiences won’t want to miss the witty and touching Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling*,* the Tony Award-winning musical comedy A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, and the Victorian satire The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. 

In the intimate Anes Studio Theatre, patrons can enjoy the World War II love story Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a week-long traveling production of Twelfth Night by the students of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the end of July, and two new plays––one of which is Lauren M. Gunderson’s Muse of Fire––for the annual Words Cubed staged reading new play program during August. 

“All of these productions represent the very best––and sometimes the most challenging––parts of all of us,” comments Artistic Director John DiAntonio who oversees each show from hiring the directors and casting to ensuring finishing touches are complete before the curtains rise and audiences show up. “We are thrilled to celebrate these stories and these artists, and welcome everyone to experience the power of live theatre.”

In addition to the plays, other opportunities referred to as the Festival Experience ensure that audiences’ participation goes beyond––and sometimes behind––the stage. A variety of seminars, pre-show orientations, Backstage Tours, Repertory Magic, classes, camps, and more aim to enhance patrons’ understanding of Festival productions and the process of repertory theatre. And no evening at the Festival would be complete without attending The Greenshow. Bring the whole family for this free 30-minute celebration starting at 7:10pm, Monday through Saturday, where everyone is invited to sing, dance, and play along.

Tickets are on sale now! Visit bard.org, call 800-PLAYTIX, or visit the Ticket Office for more information and to reserve your seats.

Making a Scene: 50 Shows with Jo Winiarski

By Kathryn Neves, guest writer

A hair salon, pink and blue and perfectly ‘80s. A pristine parlor of portraits, shaped like a Victorian picture frame. And a worn-through stage with faded red curtains—setting the stage for mischief, mayhem, and murder. This is just a glimpse of the amazing work Scenic Designer Jo Winiarski has put into the three shows in the Randall L. Jones Theatre this season. This year Winiarski celebrates an incredible milestone—her fiftieth production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival!

For Winiarski, scenic design is all about collaboration. She has fond memories of past productions, working with the directors and other designers to create something theatrical and beautiful. After over twenty years at the Festival, it’s the friendships and the teamwork that she values most.

“Working with Ben Hohman and Richard Girtain on the production team for so long creates a way of working that can only be gained after many years,” she said. Some of her favorite past collaborations include Les Misérables and an afternoon taping together a rough model, designing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) as a love letter to the Festival, and her beautiful work on last season’s The Mountaintop and Silent Sky.

One of the most rewarding aspects of Winiarski’s work involves fitting her productions efficiently into the Festival’s repertory rotation. “It’s an ever changing challenge,” she said. “How to fit three shows into the theater, and have each show tell its own visual story. I try to think about it like one large play with three very distinct acts.” While there is some scenic overlap between the productions, each one is self-contained; the designs all share the same theater, but transform it each night into distinct and vibrant emotional worlds.

“Good design first and foremost serves the play,” said Winiarski. “I think about how to shape and hold the world for these characters. What is the emotional shape of the space? I don’t think there is any rule for every show, except that the play comes first.” Her design philosophy, while putting the play’s text first and foremost, gives her space to explore, evolve, and experiment. “I now make bolder choices than I did earlier in my career,” she said, explaining that this has created a “stronger display of personal design style while still serving the play.”

After fifty productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Winiarski has built an unrivaled legacy of design and theatricality. Other Festival productions she designed include Clue (2022); Ragtime (2021); The Pirates of Penzance (2021); Boeing, Boeing (2014); Peter and the Starcatcher (2013); To Kill a Mockingbird (2012); The Taming of the Shrew (2008); and The Fiddler on the Roof (2008).

“I feel very lucky to have been a part of the Festival for this long,” she said. “To have an artistic home is a gift that is not easy to come by.” For her, fifty productions “means knowing the theater well. It means always trying to find new ways to present the work to the audience.” From her first few years as an assistant designer, to her incredible body of work over the last twenty years, Winiarski is a Festival favorite. “I keep coming back because the Festival is my artistic home,” she said. Her work defines how audiences experience the Festival and its shows, year after year.

This season, come and see her incredible work in all three Randall shows. Steel Magnolias, The Importance of Being Earnest, and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder are full of comedy, heart, and spectacular visuals. With fifty productions behind her, Jo Winiarski’s work is something to celebrate—and to see for yourself.

The Greenshow First Look

The Greenshow officially opened on June 19, and runs through September 6 on the Ashton Family Greenshow Commons. Its artistic team had six weeks to prepare these performers, and build costumes, hair/makeup, and props seen here in the first set of photos.

The Greenshow costume design by Diana Girtain. Wigmaster Dana Rochester. Assistant wigmaster Brittany McDowell. Props by Benjamin Hohman and Marielle Boneau. All photos by Karl Hugh.

See the three themed evenings of The Greenshow––Highland Games, Mariner, and Mountain Wilderness–– this season, plus two special performances by the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah on July 18 and August 2. Free for the whole family!

Meet the Playwright: 10 Fun Facts about Oscar Wilde

By Kathryn Neves, guest writer

This summer at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, we’re putting on one of the most entertaining plays in the English language. The Importance of Being Earnest has always been a Festival favorite; this’ll be our third production in our 64-year history! And, even before the start of the Festival, Founder Fred C. Adams played the imposing Lady Bracknell in a college production. Truly, this play is iconic.

But as iconic as the play is, it doesn’t hold a candle to its playwright. One of the most eccentric, witty, and prolific writers in the English language, Oscar Wilde’s life was as crazy as his name. Let’s take a look at a few fun facts about this season’s most “Wilde” playwright.

1. He was a leader of Aestheticism

A new artistic trend was on the rise in Victorian England—aestheticism. This movement prioritized beauty and form above all else. In art, in poetry, in fiction, only the aesthetics mattered. It didn’t matter if art “meant” something, or if it taught a lesson or made commentary. The top priority was the aesthetic quality of a work. This movement is where the phrase “art for art’s sake” comes from. Oscar Wilde was, and still is, one of the most famous “aesthetes” of all time.

2. He was a jack-of-all trades

In addition to being very prolific, Wilde wrote in a wide variety of genres and forms. While his plays and one novel are probably his most famous works, Wilde wrote dozens of poems, essays, short stories, speeches, arguments, dialogues, and political dissertations.

3. He was an Irish Nationalist

Wilde was born in Ireland—Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde—to a very political family. His parents were active in the cause of Irish Nationalism, and as an adult, he picked up the cause too. Most of his politics were focused on Ireland’s right to independence and sovereignty.

4. He was (maybe?) a child prodigy

As an adult, Oscar Wilde made some bold claims about his childhood. He told schoolmates that he was born brilliant; one especially modest claim was that he could “speed read.” According to him, he could read two facing pages at the same time, and he could read a 3 volume book in under half an hour.

5. He was briefly a Freemason

During his Oxford years, Oscar Wilde was initiated into the Apollo Masonic Lodge. He participated heavily and even attained the title of Master Mason. However, after he left Oxford, he stopped all active involvement and stopped paying his membership dues.

6. He loved Shakespeare

Oscar Wilde was a brilliant student of classical literature—including the study of the Bard. That love of Shakespeare continued past his school years; in 1889 he wrote a story called “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” The story followed the attempt to identify Mr. W. H.—the mysterious figure to whom Shakespeare dedicated his book of sonnets.

7. He was unjustly imprisoned

Victorian England had strict laws against homosexuality, resulting in the unfair imprisonment of gay men across the kingdom. In 1895 one of his male lovers came to light, and Wilde was put through a humiliating trial. He was sentenced to two years in prison—a grueling and cruel experience he wrote about in The Ballad of Reading Gaol. After his release, Wilde’s creative output was much slower, and he moved to France—never again to return to the U.K.

8. He had a pseudonym

After his prison stay, Oscar Wilde wanted to live in anonymity. To that end, he sometimes went by another name—Sebastian Melmoth. “Sebastian” came from the Catholic Saint Sebastian, and Melmoth came from the title character of Melmoth the Wanderer—a novel written by his great uncle, Charles Maturin.

9. He became a Catholic late in life

From the time he was very young, Wilde expressed a lot of interest in Catholicism. As a young man he was nearly baptized, before he abruptly changed his mind (and sent flowers to the priest as an apology). However, at the very end of his life, Wilde decided to go through with it. He was baptized into the Catholic church on November 29, 1900—and died the very next day.

10. The Importance of Being Earnest is considered a theatrical masterpiece

Oscar Wilde wrote nine plays during his life; and, though they were all excellent, none of them were as popular or iconic as The Importance of Being Earnest. The play’s success firmly cemented Wilde as one of the literary greats. Even now, more than 100 years later, people still flock to see the show—an honor reserved for only the best playwrights.

Come see The Importance of Being Earnest this season at the Festival! Full of unforgettable characters and the wittiest (and fastest) dialogue you’ll ever hear, it’s not a show you’ll want to miss.

For tickets or more information, visit bard.org.

The Importance of Being Earnest First Look

The Importance of Being Earnest previewed on June 20, officially opens June 27, and runs through October 4 at the Randall L. Jones Theatre. The artistic team for this delightful show have been busy preparing for audiences, designing the hair, makeup, and costumes that transform each performer seen here in this first look.

The Importance of Being Earnest costume design by Bill Black. Wigmaster Saylor Hartner. Assistant wigmaster Bria Hansen. All photos by Karl Hugh.

See the rest of their work on our Randall L. Jones stage this season. Tickets available at bard.org or by calling 800-PLAYTIX.