The University of Colorado Boulder's Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF) is setting the stage for a grand return to the great outdoors in the summer of 2026. After a couple of summers kept away for renovations, playgoers can once again stir their passions under the stars at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, according to The Longmont Leader. The 2026 season promises a fusion of Bard's classics and contemporary dramas from June 7 through August 2, with the indoor Roe Green Theatre also playing host.
Opening the season is Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in true al fresco fashion. Inside, the Roe Green theatre will house a production of “Julius Caesar.” The festival spices up the lineup with two contemporary plays, “Shakespeare in Love,” a nod to the Academy Award-winning film, and the world premiere of “Friends/Romans/Countrymen” by David Davalos, specially commissioned by the CSF. Ticket aficionados can snatch up their season passes right this very moment, or, for the single-show betters, starting December 1, as revealed by the Times-Call.
The renovation of the surrounding Hellems Building has brought about not just a facelift but a lifestyle lift for the theater experience. Now boasting expanded patio seating, an airy atrium lobby boasting a café, and other enhancements to facilitate far better access, the classic meets contemporary in a venue well-prepped to woo its audiences. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, having celebrated the wit and wisdom of the Bard and others since 1958, anticipates reopening its arms to the legion of Shakespeare enthusiasts from all around the globe, per 9News.
As for the directorial brigade, CSF has a strong slate lined up. Kevin Rich takes on "Twelfth Night," while Shelly Gaza will command the stage for "Julius Caesar." Terri McMahon will direct the adaptation of "Shakespeare in Love," with music by Paddy Cunneen, and Tim Orr is at the helm for Davalos's "Friends/Romans/Countrymen.” Boulder's summer of Shakespeare will, without a doubt, serve as both a remembrance and a renaissance, a veritable mélange of the timeless tales and modern musings that continue to shape the theater world, according to the detailed run-down provided by 9News.
