Illinois Shakespeare Festival

Coordinates: 40°29′38″N 88°57′55″W / 40.4940°N 88.9653°W / 40.4940; -88.9653
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Illinois Shakespeare Festival
LocationBloomington, Illinois, United States
Founded1978
Artistic directorJohn C. Stark[1]
Festival dateAnnually in June, July, August
Websiteillinoisshakes.com

The Illinois Shakespeare Festival (ISF) is held in Bloomington, Illinois, United States at Ewing Theatre and in Normal, Illinois, United States at the Center for Performing Arts Theatre at Illinois State University. The Festival began in 1978 and celebrated its 45th season in 2023. The Festival has traditionally presented three plays. Although all three may be Shakespeare plays, the Festival has also included different types of theater, such as Restoration comedy, Commedia dell'arte, or works by contemporary playwrights.

The Festival is produced by the School of Theatre and Dance and the College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University. Performances take place at Ewing Cultural Center on Ewing Theatre, a re-creation of the Globe Stage complete with open air amphitheater. The Festival markets itself as "theatre under the stars." Before many nightly performances, the Festival has presented free pre-show entertainment, including live jazz, abbreviated versions of the play to come, or other light or short performances. In 2008, the Festival began shows aimed towards younger audiences called Theatre for Young Audiences, which have traditionally been performed on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

The Festival runs from the later part of June through the middle of August.

Production history[edit]

Unless otherwise noted, the plays are written by William Shakespeare.[2]

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

  • Festival canceled due to the pandemic

2021

2022

2023

Artistic Directors[edit]

  • Cal Pritner (1978-1991)
  • John Sipes (1991-1995)
  • Cal MacLean (1996-2006)
  • Alec Wild (2007)
  • Deb Alley (2008-2012)
  • Kevin Rich (2013–2017)
  • John C. Stark (2017-present)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Craft, Dan (25 August 2017). "Stark named fest artistic director". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  2. ^ "2013 ISF Annual Report" (PDF). Archived from the original on December 12, 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links[edit]

40°29′38″N 88°57′55″W / 40.4940°N 88.9653°W / 40.4940; -88.9653