Utah Shakespeare Festival and Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games Celebrating Anniversary Seasons
The Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games (USG) are excited to announce this summer’s collaboration for 2026. Both organizations are hosted on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, and are popular destinations for theatre and sports enthusiasts from throughout the state and region.
Both organizations are celebrating anniversary seasons, having existed independently for decades as departments of Southern Utah University. The Festival marks 65 years as a world-class theatre experience, while USG boasts 40 years of excellence in promoting sports participation. This collaboration celebrates both groups’ legacies and their impact on the community.
“Celebrating these mile-marker anniversaries together is beyond exciting! Both institutions––the Festival and the Games––were created by visionaries, Fred C. Adams and Gerald R. Sherratt,” says Festival Executive Managing Director Michael Bahr. “Their vision was always about bringing people together in a communal celebration of art and sport.”
As part of their Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games 40th Anniversary Celebration Series, USG invites Festival patrons to participate in multiple weekly events from May 28 through June 27, including a special exhibit at the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), a Special Olympics Opening Ceremony, a community pancake breakfast, Summer Street Fest, and events at Brian Head Resort. Most are free to the public.
The most notable community event in USG’s Celebration Series is their Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games Block Party and Opening Ceremony on Friday, June 5, 2025, at 5pm and 8pm respectively at the SUU Eccles Coliseum. It will feature the largest fireworks display in southern Utah, live music, a Parade of Athletes, a Walk250 celebration, and more. For more information on the Celebration Series or to purchase Opening Ceremony tickets, visit utahsummergames.org.
As the concluding event in USG’s Celebration Series, the Festival is pleased to invite USG participants and their families to experience award-winning live theatre while in Cedar City. Celebrate “Utah Summer Games Night at the Festival” on Saturday, June 27 with two free tickets to that night’s performance of Twelfth Night at 8pm in the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre. In addition, athletes are also eligible for up to four half-price tickets for performances June 25-27. Athletes can reserve their tickets by calling 800-PLAYTIX or by visiting the Festival Ticket Office in person, and must either be wearing their USG athlete t-shirt or have proof of USG registration when picking up their tickets.
In addition, USG participants are invited to also attend The Greenshow––a free, 30-minute family-friendly Festival pre-show––which plays each evening Monday through Saturday at 7:10pm on the outdoor Greenshow stage. On “Utah Summer Games Night at the Festival,” the theme will be Americana, a perfect way to commemorate America250.
To experience even more Festival, USG athletes and their families can return and get additional discounted tickets throughout the season. Enjoy 10% off anytime from June 27 through October 2 using the online code 26USG10 (excludes premier seating and closing performances).
Please visit bard.org/about/usf-usg for more information.
The Festival’s 65th season runs June 18 through October 3, and includes Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night, along with the Tony Award-winning musicals Something Rotten! and She Loves Me, the hilarious farce See How They Run, the bold reimaginig of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and the contemporary comedy The Book Club Play.
