Colorado Shakespeare Festival announces 2026 season

The Festival returns to the newly renovated Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre next summer with a four-show season featuring two Shakespeare classics, an adaptation of the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love and a world premiere commissioned work.

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival returns to the newly renovated Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre next summer with four productions running June 7 to Aug. 2, 2026.

The season opens with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night outdoors, followed by Julius Caesar in the indoor Roe Green Theatre. The lineup concludes with Shakespeare in Love, based on the Oscar-winning film, and the world premiere of Friends/Romans/Countrymen by David Davalos, commissioned by CSF.

After two summers of renovations to the Hellems Building, audiences will return to the historic outdoor venue with new amenities including patio seating, a spacious atrium lobby with café, improved accessibility and more.

2026 season lineup

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, directed by Kevin Rich, June 7-Aug. 2, Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre. The beloved comedy follows Viola, shipwrecked and disguised as a boy, as she navigates mistaken identity, romance and chaos in Illyria.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, directed by Shelly Gaza, June 14-Aug. 2, Roe Green Indoor Theatre. This production spotlights the insidious effects of patriarchy in Shakespeare’s tale of ambition, power and betrayal in ancient Rome.
Shakespeare in Love, based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted by Lee Hall with music by Paddy Cunneen, directed by Terri McMahon, June 28-Aug. 1, Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre. The stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film follows penniless playwright Will Shakespeare as he finds his muse in Viola de Lesseps, inspiring Romeo and Juliet.
Friends/Romans/Countrymen by David Davalos, directed by Tim Orr, July 12-Aug. 1, Roe Green Indoor Theatre. World premiere. A struggling poet named Virgil accidentally creates the Roman Empire in this comical-historical take on Julius Caesar that shifts perspective toward peripheral characters.

Season tickets go on sale Oct. 27 at coloradoshakes.org or by calling 303-492-8008. Single tickets will be available starting Dec. 1.

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