THE NEW YORK TIMES: 15 Summer Theater Festivals (And More)

Ah, sizzling burgers and a tasty side of the arts. We’ve picked the top festivals in theater, dance, pop and classical that we think you should see this spring and summer around the country.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival

BOULDER, COLO., JUNE 11-AUG. 13.

As in most summers, there are many productions of “Hamlet” planned around the country, but in Colorado they’ll shake things up by casting a woman, Lenne Klingaman, in the title role. In the same season, Ms. Klingaman will play Hamlet in Tom Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.”

Those shows will be staged indoors, while “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Julius Caesar” and “Henry VI, Part 3” will take place under the stars at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre. Worth noting: The Idaho Shakespeare Festival is also taking an unusual approach to “Hamlet” (June 2-25), with a male and a female actor alternating performances in the title role.