The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a theatrical festival that performs works by Shakespeare as its cornerstone. The Festival is held during the summer and early fall at The Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts in Cedar City, Utah, United States, in conjunction with Southern Utah University.
History The Festival was founded in 1961, and presented its first season in 1962.
The idea for the Utah Shakespeare Festival originated in Cedar City, Utah, when Fred C. Adams, a theatre professor at the College of Southern Utah (now Southern Utah University), and his fiancée, Barbara Gaddie, discussed the possibility of establishing a Shakespeare festival while doing their laundry at the local Fluffy Bundle Laundromat.
Adams had visited the Oregon Shakespeare Festival the previous year (1960) and was inspired by its approach to producing Shakespearean theatre. He and Gaddie believed that Cedar City would be a suitable location for a similar festival because of the large number of tourists who traveled through the area each summer to visit nearby national parks.
During their conversation at the laundromat, the couple recorded their ideas on a yellow notepad, outlining plans for the foundations that would later develop into the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
In 1961, Fred directed a student production of The Taming of the Shrew to test community interest in holding a Shakespeare festival. This initial test was successful, and inspired Adams and Gaddie to pursue their idea. The two were able to garner support, and with the help of students and local residents, built a simple outdoor stage, props, and created costumes for the festival's first season in 1962.
The inaugural season began on July 2, 1962 with productions of The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Hamlet. With the help of a $1,000 loan from the local Lions Club, and support from the community, the first season was deemed a success, enabling Adams and Gaddie to produce a second season.
The festival's success continued season after season, allowing for the festival to grow and expand from their original stage on the grass to the purpose built Adams Memorial Theatre in 1977.
1989 saw the opening of an additional theater purpose build for the festival. The Randall L. Jones, an indoor theatre, was opened as a state of the art facility to host additional productions and allow for matinee productions at the festival.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival received a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2000.
2016 saw the dedication of the newly completed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, a complex purpose built in Cedar City for the festival. This complex includes the Randall L. Jones Theatre, the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre, administrative offices for the festival,The Greenshow stage, a seminar grove, statue gardens, and the Southern Utah Museum of Art.
Festival founder, Fred C. Adams, remained involved with the festival until his death in February 2020. Adams built the festival from his humble laundromat vision in 1961 into today's multi-million dollar award winning festival.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival celebrated its 65th season in 2026.
The Greenshow
During the summer months of the festival, The Greenshow is performed outdoors before the evening productions. The Greenshow often includes comedic skits, sword fighting, and musical routines with dancing. In recent years, these performances have often been themed to coincide with the evening production (example: Greenshow actors wearing kilts and singing Scottish songs on the evenings Macbeth was performed during the 2025 season). During and before the performance people dressed (roughly) in period clothing walk around the courtyard (green) selling programs, telling jokes, and offering a variety of treats. The Greenshow is free to attend.
Executive Managing Director of the festival, Michael Bahr, on The Greenshow: "It's a fundamental part of the festival experience... Since the first years of the festival, patrons have been immersed in a live theatrical experience, preparing them for the evening that awaits."
Theatres Theatres currently or previously used by the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah.
Temporary Outdoor Stage When the festival began in 1962, a temporary outdoor stage was built on a grassy site of the College of Southern Utah (now SUU) campus. The temporary stage had a capacity of 300 seats for festival goers. As the festival continued to gain popularity year after year, it became evident that a more permanent solution was required, and the Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre was commissioned.
The Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre The Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre opened in 1977, and was retired at the end of the 2015 season. The "Adams" theatre was designed to replicate Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and had a capacity of 887 people. In 1981, the BBC used the Adams theatre to film a television program about William Shakespeare; at that time, the Adams was the best replica of The Globe Theatre. Actor Sam Wanamaker visited the Adams theatre for ideas while raising money to build the new Shakespeare's Globe in London, England. Actor Jeremy Irons, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company at the time of his visit to the Adams theatre remarked, "You come to Utah and there's your language, there's Shakespeare. It's wonderful, it's like coming home."
After 38 years of operation, the Adams Theatre held its final performance on September 5, 2015. Festival founder Fred C. Adams carried a lit candle from the stage of the Adams to the new (Engelstad) construction site to signify the continuance of the festival's dedication to theatrical excellence. The Adams Theatre was returned to the stewardship of Southern Utah University to use for educational programs at the university.
Randall L. Jones Theatre The Randall L. Jones Theatre is an indoor theatre with a capacity of approximately 770 people. The "Randall", as festival goers refer to it, opened June 23, 1989. The theatre hosts matinee and evening productions, usually featuring non-Shakespearean productions, such as musicals, comedies, and dramas. The Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts was built to include the Randall L. Jones Theatre as part of its campus. The Randall has often been noted for its architectural beauty, and was featured in Architecture magazine's August 1990 edition.
Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre The Englestad Shakespeare Theatre is an outdoor theatre built in the style of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The theatre is part of the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, and was opened on July 7, 2016 to replace the Adams Memorial Shakespearean Theatre. The Engelstad seats approximately 921 people, and features modern technology for its productions. Due to the outdoor nature of the theatre, productions are exclusively staged at night, and may be delayed due to rain and other inclement weather.
Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre The Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre is an indoor black box style theatre with a capacity of approximately 200 people (depending on the configuration of the current productions). The "Anes" theatre, as it is commonly referred by, opened on July 30, 2016, as part of the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts.
Leadership David Ivers and Brian Vaughn were named co-artistic directors in 2011. Vaughn became the sole artistic director in 2017 when Ivers left the Festival to join the Arizona Theatre Company.
On October 3, 2022 the Festival announced the departure of Executive Director Frank Mack.
In 2023, Michael Bahr became the new Executive Managing Director of the festival. Bahr had been involved with the festival for decades, originally working in the festival's ticket office while he was a college student. Bahr later became the Education Director for the festival and served in that capacity for over twenty years before becoming Executing Managing Director. John DiAntonio was hired as the Artistic Director of the festival in 2023, having formerly worked as Artistic Director at the Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado.
Productions The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a Repertory theatre, which produces a number of Shakespearean plays and other productions each season. The festival initially only performed works by Shakespeare, but expanded over time to include productions by other renowned playwrights, as well as contemporary playwrights.
Complete the Canon The Utah Shakespeare Festival created a multi-year plan to stage each of William Shakespeare's 38 plays, which the festival refers to as "Complete the Canon". Complete the Canon began with their 2012 season and was scheduled to end with the 2023 season. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors, this schedule was delayed. The festival now intends to complete the canon with their 2027 season.
Notably, the festival also performed Shakespeare's ten history plays in chronological order, starting with King John in 2013 and ending with Henry VIII in 2024 as part of their bid to complete the canon.
Many of Shakespeare's popular plays were performed more than once during the Complete the Canon process.
List of productions at the festival The table below contains a list of productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival from their inaugural season to the upcoming season. This table was completed with information from the festival's official website.
† indicates a play performed as part of the festival's "Complete the Canon" endeavor.
+SeasonPlayPlaywright(s)TheaterAdditional Info2027The Two Noble Kinsmen †William ShakespeareEileen and Allen Anes Studio TheatreUpcoming Final previously unperformed play to complete the canon.2027Henry V †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare TheatreUpcoming2027The Merry Wives of Windsor †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare TheatreUpcoming2027The CrucibleArthur MillerEngelstad Shakespeare TheatreUpcoming2027The Drowsy ChaperoneMusic and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg MorrisonRandall L. Jones TheatreUpcoming2027Arsenic and Old LaceJoseph KesselringRandall L. Jones TheatreUpcoming2027William Shakespeare's Land of the DeadJohn HeimbuchRandall L. Jones TheatreUpcoming Shakespeare meets Zombies!2027Into the Breeches!George BrantEileen and Allen Anes Studio TheatreUpcoming2027All The Devils Are HerePatrick PageEccles Music CenterUpcoming2026Hamlet †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2026Troilus and Cressida †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2026Twelfth Night †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2026The Book Club PlayKaren ZacariasEileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre2026Mary Shelley's FrankensteinDavid CatlinEileen and Allen Anes Studio TheatreBased on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.2026See How They RunPhilip KingRandall L. Jones Theatre2026She Loves MeMusic by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Randall L. Jones TheatreBook by Joe Masteroff, Based on the Play by Miklós László2026Something Rotten!Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey KirkpatrickRandall L. Jones Theatre2025Macbeth †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2025Antony and Cleopatra †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2025As You Like It †William ShakespeareEngelstad Shakespeare Theatre2025A Gentleman's Guide to Love and MurderSteven Lutvak, Robert L. FreedmanRandall L. Jones TheatreBook and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman, Music and Lyrics by Steven Lutvak,