Colorado Shakespeare Festival Announces 2026 Season
CU Boulder Festival returns to newly renovated Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre
The University of Colorado Boulder’s Colorado Shakespeare Festival (CSF) returns to the newly renovated Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre in summer 2026 with a compelling new lineup of classic and contemporary plays. The season runs June 7 to Aug. 2, 2026, with performances at both the iconic outdoor venue and the indoor Roe Green Theatre.
The 2026 season features four productions – two in each of the festival’s CU Boulder venues. CSF opens June 7 in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre with Shakespeare’s beloved comedy Twelfth Night. Julius Caesar follows indoors in the Roe Green Theatre. The season concludes with two contemporary works: Shakespeare in Love, based on the Oscar-winning film, in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, and the world premiere of Friends/Romans/Countrymen by David Davalos, commissioned by CSF, in the Roe Green Theatre.
The Hellems Building, which surrounds the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, has been closed for renovations for the past two summers. In 2026, CSF audiences will return to the beloved historic seating areas and stage, now enhanced by new amenities – including patio seating, a spacious atrium lobby with a café, improved accessibility and more.
Founded in 1958, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival celebrates the works of William Shakespeare and other classic playwrights through world-class performances. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Boulder, Colorado, the festival attracts thousands of attendees each year, and is recognized as one of the premier destinations for Shakespeare enthusiasts worldwide.
Season tickets go on sale Oct. 27, 2025 at coloradoshakes.org, by phone at 303-492-8008 or in person at the CU Presents Box Office (weekdays, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.). Single tickets will be available starting Dec. 1, 2025.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival 2026 season
Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Kevin Rich
June 7-Aug. 2, 2026, Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre
Having lost her twin Sebastian in a terrible shipwreck, Viola is cast upon the strange shores of Illyria. Disguised as the boy Cesario, she is sent by Duke Orsino to woo the Countess Olivia, who instead falls for the messenger. Meanwhile, Olivia’s drunken uncle Sir Toby decides to play a trick on her steward Malvolio, and chaos, confusion and hilarity ensue when Sebastian turns up alive. A wise fool, mistaken identity, and ultimately, love, make for a classic, beloved comedy.
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Shelly Gaza
June 14-Aug. 2, 2026, Roe Green Indoor Theatre
Fearing that Julius Caesar, returning to Rome after triumph in battle, will seize total power, Rome’s elite plot his murder. After Caesar dies at the hand of his friend Brutus, his successor Mark Antony drives the conspirators out of Rome and defeats them in battle, leaving him to rule. This production spotlights the insidious effects of patriarchy, while Shakespeare’s portrayal of ambition, power and betrayal make for an unsettling parallel between ancient Rome and contemporary culture.
Shakespeare in Love
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall with music by Paddy Cunneen
Directed by Terri McMahon
June 28-Aug. 1, 2026, Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre
Penniless and paralyzed by writer’s block, young Will Shakespeare finds his muse in Viola de Lesseps, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant and passionate lover of poetry and theater. Betrothed to the power- and money-hungry Lord Wessex, Viola surrenders to passion with the playwright, inspiring his famous tale of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. But this clever, contemporary stage production of the Oscar-winning film is no tragedy. It’s loaded with laughs — and Easter eggs — for Shakespeare lovers of all ages.
Friends/Romans/Countrymen
By David Davalos
Directed by Tim Orr
July 12-Aug. 1, 2026, Roe Green Indoor Theatre
World Premiere
A struggling poet named Virgil bumps into Julius Caesar and accidentally creates the Roman Empire in this world-premier, comical-historical take on Shakespeare’s tragic history Julius Caesar. Shifting perspective toward peripheral characters, David Davalos’ supernatural fable of sooth and consequence leans into the laughter — after all, the fall and rise of Caesar weren’t exactly a tragedy for every Roman citizen.