Accessibility and Back to School Offerings at the Festival
Families may be going back to school and schedules are changing, but there’s still lots of chances at the Utah Shakespeare Festival to catch your favorite shows! There are also numerous accessibility opportunities and educational offerings available for patrons of all ages.
OPEN CAPTIONING
The Festival provides open captioning for select performances, ensuring accessibility for patrons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or benefit from reading along with the performance. Open captioning displays the spoken dialogue, some sound effects, and other audio elements, such as music cues, on a visible screen near the stage, allowing all audience members to fully engage with the production.
Open captioning services will be available during these 2026 performances:
Monday, August 17 at 2pm - See How they Run
Monday, August 17 at 8pm - Troilus and Cressida
Tuesday, August 18 at 2pm - She Loves Me
Tuesday, August 18 at 8pm - Hamlet
Wednesday August 19 at 2pm - Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Wednesday August 19 at 8pm - Twelfth Night
Thursday August 20 at 2pm - The Book Club Play
Thursday August 20 at 8pm - Something Rotten!
For assistance selecting appropriate seating or for additional information, email guestservices@bard.org or call the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
Captioned performances are sponsored through a generous grant provided by the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation.
ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES
Live American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation services will be available during these performances:
Monday, August 24 – See How They Run at 2pm
Tuesday, August 25 – She Loves Me at 2pm
For assistance selecting appropriate seating or for additional information, email guestservices@bard.org or call the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
SENSORY-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, September 1 – She Loves Me at 2pm
The Festival is again pleased to present a Sensory-Friendly Performancethis season. Patrons ages six and above who would benefit from attending the theatre in a more relaxed environment, such as house lights on at a low level throughout the performance, the use of fidget items, audience members being welcome to stand or move around, and more. Those for whom this is designed includes––but is not limited to––those with sensory sensitivities, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, dementia, learning challenges or differences, and other neurodiversities.
For additional information, email guestservices@bard.org or call the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849).
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Educating and inspiring theatre lovers is a huge part of the Festival’s mission, and this often begins with young thespians.
Students can get a Student Access Pass for only $50 which allows them to get one ticket per performance day-of to up to 32 performances during the season. This pass is available to enrolled elementary through undergrad university students taking 12 or more credit hours; a student ID must be provided when purchasing the pass. Limit of one pass per student; expires October 3, 2026.
For teachers with school groups, Shakespearience is a must!
SHAKESPEARIENCE
Monday through Friday, through September 25
Shakesperience events are for school groups and include a performance, access to Festival-created study guide materials, and a selection of seminars, orientations, and other Festival programs like a workshop or backstage tour.
Utah public and public charter school groups of 12 students or more may receive free or reduced tickets to shows in the Engelstad or Randall Theatres, courtesy of the Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools (POPS) sponsored by the Utah State Legislature (excludes premier seating and is subject to availability). Chaperones may receive one reduced ticket per 12 students; additional chaperones receive half-off the regular ticket price. Additional events like those mentioned above are included in the ticket price.
Out-of-state, private, parochial schools, residential treatment centers, and homeschool groups/co-ops of 12 students or more may receive $15 tickets in the Engelstad or Randall Theatres (excludes premier seating and is subject to availability). Chaperones may receive one reduced ticket per 12 students; additional chaperones receive half-off the regular ticket price. Additional events may include an extra cost based on the activity and the size of the group.
Because of limited inventory, tickets to shows in the Anes Studio Theatre for school groups will be available only at a 50% discount.
Please contact the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX (800-752-9849) to arrange for your group, or for non-educational group rates. For more information, visit bard.org/about/education/shakespearience.
The Festival’s 65th anniversary season includes Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night, and the comedy See How They Run which close by September 5*;* the musicals Something Rotten! and She Loves Me, along with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and The Book Club Play which run until October 3.
