Utah Shakespeare Festival Announces 65th Anniversary Season for 2026
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is thrilled to officially announce its 65th Anniversary Season, which will run June 18 through October 3, 2026. “We are excited to celebrate our 65th year of world-class storytelling on our stages and invite you to gather with us,” says Artistic Director John DiAntonio.
With Generations Gather Here as the seasonal inspiration, DiAntonio explains how this invitation is for everyone. “Ever since our inaugural year in 1961, we have had countless generations of people come together to build, share, and experience the work at the Festival. That not only includes our patrons, donors, and guests, but also our staff, artists, and volunteers, among others. So many return year after year because they are excited by the experience they’ve had when they come here. And so many come for the first time because they are intrigued by the Festival and Cedar City. We welcome all to join the legacy!”
The 65th Anniversary Season includes, of course, works by William Shakespeare, our cornerstone playwright, as well as a variety of other plays and musicals sure to delight viewers.
Troilus and Cressida
By William Shakespeare
Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre
Previews June 18, 2026
Runs June 22 - September 3, 2026
Last seen at the Festival in 1999, Troilus and Cressida is a rarely-done tragedy set during the Trojan War. It is a tale of love, power, survival, and betrayal and focuses on two people whose passion is tested, as war rages and loyalties shift. This play is the penultimate production for the Festival’s Complete the Canon initiative which began in 2012, a commitment to produce every one of Shakespeare’s works.
Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre
Previews June 19, 2026
Runs June 23 - September 4, 2026
As one of Shakespeare’s most haunting and well-known tragedies, Prince Hamlet wrestles with the death of his father as well as with his own inaction, while searching for truth and harnessing his desire for vengeance. He spirals into crisis and isolation, exemplifying the complexities of the human condition. Last seen on Festival stages in 2019, it is one of the most popular of Shakespeare’s plays produced here.
Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre
Previews June 20, 2026
Runs June 24 - September 5, 2026
Believed to have been written as a commissioned piece for Queen Elizabeth, Twelfth Night was performed during the holiday season festivities of 1601-02. It’s a beloved comedy, last featured at the Festival in 2019, that includes a complicated love triangle, mistaken identities, mischief, and witty banter that proves love often finds us when––and where––we least expect it.
Something Rotten!
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
Music and Lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Randall L. Jones Theatre
Previews June 22, 2026
Runs June 29 - October 3, 2026
Having premiered on Broadway in 2015, Something Rotten! is a hilarious, high-energy musical that reimagines Shakespeare’s world with modern twists. Set in the Renaissance, it follows struggling playwrights Nick and Nigel Bottom, who try to outshine wildly popular William Shakespeare by creating the world’s first musical. Packed with show-stopping numbers, outrageous comedy, and clever nods to Broadway and the Bard, this show celebrates creativity, ambition, and the absurdity of the theatre world.
See How They Run
By Philip King
Randall L. Jones Theatre
Previews June 23, 2026
Runs June 30 - September 4, 2026
See How They Run is a classic British farce never before seen at the Festival, packed with mistaken identities, unexpected visitors, and nonstop chaos. Set in a quiet English vicarage during WWII, the play spirals into comedic mayhem as a soldier, a German POW, a Russian spy, and multiple clergymen, converge on the house. Written to boost morale during wartime, this fast-paced comedy delivers delightful confusion and wild fun for audiences of all ages.
She Loves Me
Book by Joe Masteroff
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Based on a play by Miklós László
Randall L. Jones Theatre
Previews June 24, 2026
Runs July 1 to October 3, 2026
Georg and Amalia are feuding co-workers in a 1930s perfume shop, and each is falling in love with their anonymous pen pal. Based on the same play that inspired the films The Shop Around the Corner and You’ve Got Mail, this charming, heartwarming musical sparkles with witty dialogue, endearing characters, and a beautiful score by Harnick and Bock (Fiddler on the Roof). It’s a delightful feel-good story of second chances and love discovered in surprising ways.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
By David Catlin
Based on the book by Mary Shelley
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre
Previews July 13, 2026
Runs July 17 - October 3, 2026
A riveting and bold retelling of the Gothic masterpiece about Victor Frankenstein and his creation, told through the lens of Mary Shelley’s own tragic story. Deeply human, it explores ambition, the impact of scientific progress, and the intertwined nature of master and monster in a fresh perspective on this literary classic.
The Book Club Play
By Karen Zacarías
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre
Previews July 14, 2026
Run July 18 - October 3, 2026
This clever comedy tells of a tight-knit group of friends whose carefully curated lives unravel when their book club becomes the subject of a documentary. As tensions rise and secrets emerge, the laughs build in this witty satire about literature, the chaos of group dynamics, and the stories we tell ourselves, proving real life is often the most unpredictable plot of all.
For more information including content advisories, please visit bard.org. Tickets are available for purchase online or by calling the Ticket Office at 800-PLAYTIX, Monday through Friday, noon to 5pm. No window service is available until next spring.
