2027 Directors in the Randall L. Jones Theatre
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is excited to announce the directors for the 2027 productions in the Randall L. Jones Theatre. Three returning directors helm three very entertaining shows - don’t miss this musical, this comedy, and this comedic horror mashup!
The Drowsy Chaperone
Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Randall L. Jones Theatre
A love letter to golden age musicals, The Drowsy Chaperone bursts with tap-dancing joy, witty parody, and infectious heart. As a reclusive musical theatre fan drops the needle on his favorite record, the show springs to life in his apartment—complete with glamorous stars, mistaken identities, and nonstop laughter. Equal parts satire and celebration, it’s an irresistible valentine to the magic of theatre.
Returning to the Festival is two-time Emmy Award-winning director, artist, and producer Alan Muraoka, who directed last season’s Something Rotten! and helmed a special Festival production of Gold Mountain in 2021. As an actor, he performed on Broadway seven times, including Disney’s Aladdin, The King and I, and Miss Saigon, as well as 27 years as Alan on Sesame Street. He was resident director of Off-Broadway’s Avenue Q, and his directing work has been featured at Olney Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, and Pioneer Theatre Company. He earned his BFA from UCLA and has received numerous awards including a 2026 Emmy Silver Circle Inductee Award, a GLAAD Media Award, and Carol Burnett Musical Comedy Award.
“I am so thrilled to be returning to the Festival for my third time, to direct The Drowsy Chaperone,” says Muraoka.“ This madcap and loving homage to musical theatre will delight audiences of all ages. A quirky and eccentric modern-day Man in the Chair, who is a musical theatre uber-fan, introduces us to one of his favorite musicals from the 1920’s and it comes to life vibrantly for us all to see. Filled with memorable tunes, antic humor, and tap dancing, if you liked last season’s Something Rotten!, you will love The Drowsy Chaperone.”
The Drowsy Chaperone previews on June 24, 2027 and runs through September 2, 2027.
Arsenic and Old Lace
By Joseph Kesselring
Randall L. Jones Theatre
Darkly hilarious and deliciously twisted, Arsenic and Old Lace follows two sweet elderly sisters who have a peculiarly dark and questionably charitable hobby. Their nephew Mortimer discovers their secret just as his deranged brother returns home, setting off a farcical chain of events. It’s a madcap comedy where good manners meet mayhem and murder has never been so charming.
Directed by returning Festival artist Aaron Galligan-Stierle, audiences may remember his direction of The 39 Steps in 2024 and nine seasons as an actor in such productions as Clue, Sweeney Todd, Ragtime, The Comedy of Errors, and Peter and the Starcatcher, among many others. His Broadway work includes roles in The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime, and The Grinch. He has also done a national tour of White Christmas and worked at the Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Papermill Playhouse, and PCLO. He is currently the head of BFA acting and musical theatre at Slippery Rock University and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
“Arsenic and Old Lace is wildly funny, and it lives or dies on character,” says Galligan-Stierle. “The Festival has the kind of ensemble of actors that makes every role––big or small––unforgettable. I couldn’t think of a better home for these two aunts and their very wacky family.”
Arsenic and Old Lace previews on June 25, 2027 and runs through October 1, 2027.
William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead
By John Heimbuch
Randall L. Jones Theatre
It’s London, 1599. Shakespeare’s Henry V has just opened at the Globe Theatre when a mysterious plague sweeps through the city—one that leaves its victims dead…and then decidedly not dead. Trapped inside a quarantined playhouse, Shakespeare and his company must battle the undead, rivalries, and their own ambitions in a thrilling race for survival.
The Festival’s Artistic Director John DiAntonio returns to direct this comedic horror mashup. He directed Twelfth Night last season and Macbeth in 2025, in addition to performing as Jack in Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise that same year and Petruchio in 2024’s The Taming of the Shrew. Prior to coming to Cedar City, he was the producing artistic director at Creede Repertory Theatre. Additional acting and directing credits include the Denver Center Theatre Company, The Arvada Center, and Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. He received his MFA in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and also attended the British American Drama Academy. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.
“What excites me most about William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead is that it offers the best of both worlds: a thrilling, wildly entertaining adventure for Shakespeare lovers and zombie fans alike, and a surprisingly profound look at Shakespeare’s company in 1599. At its heart, this play asks questions that are as relevant to theatre-makers today as they were 400 years ago: How do we balance artistic integrity with the demands of the marketplace? What do we owe our audiences, and what do we hope to leave behind? This play is a wonderfully entertaining reminder of just how much is at stake in making something that lasts.”
William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead previews on June 26, 2027 and runs through October 2, 2027.
Visit bard.org to get your tickets today!
