St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Announces Season 26
From its inception, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival has been bold and ambitious, engaging the community with fresh and exciting productions of the Bard’s plays while also putting the city on the map as a destination for Shakespeare fans from around the world. The Festival doesn’t just stage the plays; it brings the stories to life, providing opportunities to connect with centuries-old scripts in ways that resonate while encouraging curiosity, artistic expression, and relevant conversation. And, if the company’s season 26 announcement is any sign, the Festival shows no inclination for lowering its voice or tempering its ambitions.
Kate Tischelkamp, Executive Director, and Tom Ridgely, Producing Artistic Director, began their announcement with a few highlights of Season 25. A quick look at the numbers reveals that 2025 was a year of resilience and success, with more than 47,000 guests attending the company’s core productions, magnified by both the impact of the May 16 tornado on Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park and the quarter-century milestone, a feat of no small achievement. This year’s season promises more opportunities to see and learn about the works of William Shakespeare than any previous year, and includes works inspired by Shakespeare and his characters.
The Tempest, May 27-June 21: Shakespeare’s fantastical romance turns Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park into a mysterious island where everything is not quite as it seems and Prospero rules with a magic touch. Directed by the Festival’s former artistic director Rick Dildine, and featuring St. Louis-based performer, playwright, and director Nancy Bell as Prospero.
The Two Gentleman of Verona, August 4- September 6: Likely Shakespeare’s first play and commonly thought of as the first romantic comedy, the TourCo show directed by New Jewish Theatre’s artistic director Rebekah Scallet, will be performed in numerous public parks throughout the St. Louis region, from far west county to the Illinois side of the river.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, March 26-April 11: Directed by the Festival’s artistic director and produced in association with Albion Theatre, the very witty Tom Stoppard play reimagines Hamlet from the perspective of two minor characters, turning the plot on its head as they try to understand the events happening around them and their place in the world.
Romeo and Zooliet, fall 2026: The animal puppets return in a refreshed and updated family-friendly comedy that introduces the youngest audiences to the Bard in a quick-moving play filled with adventure, laughter, and gorgeous, larger than life puppets. Location and more details to be announced.
In addition to these shows, the next Shakespeare in the Streets begins its creative process in the Dogtown neighborhood; Boozy Bard returns to the Schlafly Tap Room February 5, 6, 12, and 13 with The Reclaiming of the Shrew, conceived and directed by Aarya Locker and featuring some of the region’s top talents in an inebriated reimagining. In addition, The Confluence New Play Festival, established by Nancy Bell in 2018 and currently under the direction of Deanna Jent, returns March 19 -21. The Festival will also lead a curated trip to London to explore its world-class theater and art scene in late July, and the Festival’s Summer Shakespeare Studio and Teen Green Show offer students aged 9 to 19 opportunities to engage with Shakespeare’s scripts as well as learn stagecraft and stage combat. There are more exciting plans still in the development stage – visit the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis website to stay updated.
