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The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a theatrical festival that performs works by
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
as their cornerstone. The Festival is held during the summer and fall on the campus of
Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...
in
Cedar City, Utah Cedar City is the largest city in Iron County, Utah, United States. It is located south of Salt Lake City, and north of Las Vegas on Interstate 15. It is the home of Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Utah Summer Ga ...
, United States.


Awards

In 2000, the Festival was the recipient of America's Outstanding
Regional Theatre Tony Award The Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special recognition Tony Award given annually to a regional theater company in the United States. The winner is recommended by a committee of drama critics. Background Initially presented in 1948 to Robert Po ...
, presented by the American Theatre Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers. In 2001 it received the National Governors Association Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts for Artistic Productions.


Productions

The Festival produces an eight-show repertory season in the summer and fall of each year. Traditionally, four of the produced plays are written by Shakespeare or one of his contemporaries such as
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the " ...
, and the others are non-Shakespearean classics or works by more contemporary dramatists, one of which is usually a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
. The Shakespeare plays are usually performed in the outdoor Adams Shakespearean Theatre, which is modeled after Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gr ...
. The other plays are performed on an indoor proscenium stage, the Randall L. Jones Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is used for matinee performances of plays normally produced at night in the Adams, and as a rainstage for Adams performances. During the summer The Greenshow is performed outside before the evening productions. The Greenshow often includes comedic skits, sword fighting, and musical routines with dancing. During and before the performance people dressed (roughly) in period clothing walk around the courtyard (green) selling programs, telling jokes, and offering a selection of treats. The Festival also produces The New American Playwrights Project or N.A.P.P., a "plays in progress" series, featuring staged readings of new plays in a workshop setting These workshops take place each August at The Festival. The 2015 Season runs through October 31. Plays for the Fall Season include ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas, ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' by William Shakespeare and ''Dracula'' by Steven Deitz. 2016 was the inaugural season in The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts. The 2016 Season opens June 27 in preview and runs through October 22. Plays in the new Englestad Shakespeare theatre are: ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (William Shakespeare), ''Henry V'' (William Shakespeare) and ''The Three Musketeers'' (Ken Ludwig). Plays in the new Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre are ''Julius Caesar'' (William Shakespeare) and ''Murder for Two'' (Kinosian and Blair). Plays in the Randall L. Jones Theatre are ''Mary Poppins'' (Sherman, Sherman, Fellowes), ''The Odd Couple'' (Neil Simon) and ''The Cocoanuts'' (Berlin, Kaufman). The 2020 season was cancelled on May 12, 2020 due to the
COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The festival first tried to offer a shortened season that would have ended in September, but found the possibility of becoming compliant with public health guidelines too large an obstacle.


History

The Festival was founded in 1961, presented its first season in 1962. It is one of the oldest and largest Shakespearean festivals in North America. The Festival is located in Cedar City, Utah, a community of approximately 28,000 people, and is within a day's drive of seven national parks and numerous national and state forests, monuments, and recreation areas. Via Interstate-15, it is two and a half hours northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada and three and a half hours south of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Festival is located on and around the Southern Utah University campus.


Education

The Festival educational programs include a variety of classes, from week-long camps to two-day courses, and most are for university credit. In addition, the Festival each year tours an abbreviated version of a Shakespeare play to schools throughout the Southwest. The play for 2015 is Macbeth, and can also include workshops in acting, stage combat, character development, and design.


Leadership

R. Scott Phillips was named executive director in October 2007, succeeding Founder Fred C. Adams at the helm of the Festival. Adams functioned as executive producer emeritus and executive director of the Festival Centre Project until his death in 2020. David Ivers and Brian Vaughn were named artistic directors in 2011. A six-member executive council works with Phillips, Ivers, and Vaughn as the day-to- day leadership. A thirty-person volunteer regional board of governors oversees all long-range planning, marketing, and development of the Festival and is chaired by Mark Moench. The Festival employs thirty-two people year-round. The production company consists of approximately 250 individuals. Approximately six non-acting positions are needed in areas such as production, marketing, management, and administration to support each performer seen on stage. Over 200 additional community members donate their time to support Festival activities.


The Greenshow

The Greenshow is an outdoor performance that precedes each play during the summer season, excluding matinees. It is free. The actors do skits and most of them have minor roles in the six productions during the summer season.


See also

* Wooden O Symposium


References


External links

* * {{authority control Festivals established in 1961 Theatre companies in Utah Tony Award winners Festivals in Utah Shakespeare festivals in the United States Regional theatre in the United States Tourist attractions in Iron County, Utah Cedar City, Utah Replica buildings 1961 establishments in Utah