The Illinois Shakespeare Festival's 2023 Season–coming soon!
Explore the full 2022 Season program
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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield
Directed by William Jenkins
An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, The Complete Works... was London’s longest-running comedy having clocked a very palpable nine years in London’s West End! Join these tumultuous thespians as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.
Preview:
Friday, June 3 at 8 p.m.Performances:
Saturday, June 4 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. (ASL-Interpreted Performance)
Thursday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 11 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m.Ewing Theatre
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Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon
They bicker and they banter, they mock and charm, they are Beatrice and Benedick, Shakespeare’s beguiling comedic characters of Much Ado About Nothing. Considered Shakespeare’s best romantic-comedy, Much Ado provides us with witty timeless language, a set of young mistake-prone lovers, bumbling sidekicks, and a perfectly matched couple who are yet to discover it.
Preview:
Friday, July 1 at 8 p.m.Performances:
Saturday, July 2 at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 16 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. (ASL-Interpreted Performance)
Thursday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 23 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 29 at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, August 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, August 5 at 8 p.m.Ewing Theatre
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King Lear
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Robert Quinlan
Strained relations between a father and his daughters are at the core of Shakespeare’s explosive tragedy, King Lear. In this tale of intimate family drama and political manipulation, an aged leader at the height of his power and influence, loses his grip on position, power, family, and sanity when hubris and ego trump love and loyalty. Lear examines the most basic questions of human existence and is considered one the most powerful dramas in Western literature.
Preview:
Friday, July 8 at 8 p.m.Performances:
Saturday, July 9 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 15 at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m. (ASL-Interpreted Performance)
Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 4 at 7:30 p.m.Ewing Theatre
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Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA)
Much Ado About Quite A Lot
by Nancy Steele Brokaw
Directed by Lori Adams
In Much Ado About Quite a Lot, friends stick together, people fall in love, and all is going well until a dirty trick threatens to undo everything. That is when we learn the power of the word ‘nevertheless.’ What happens when things go terribly wrong, but someone decides nevertheless to forgive and move on? Join us as we romp through this 40-minute adapted play , based on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, written 400 years ago. Since then, some things have changed a lot and others, well, not so much.
Performances:
July 2—August 6 in locations around Central Illinois -
The Illinois Shakespeare
Festival's 2022 Season ProgramJohn C. Stark, artistic director
Ann Haugo, producer
Derek R. Munson, managing directorComing Summer 2022