Utah Shakespeare Festival

Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is a Tony Award-winning professional theater company based in Cedar City, Utah, and one of the most celebrated Shakespeare festivals in the world. Running annually from late June through mid-October, the festival presents a rotating repertoire of Shakespeare classics, musicals, and contemporary plays performed by professional actors in multiple world-class venues on the Southern Utah University campus.

World-Class Theater in Southern Utah

The festival operates three stages: the outdoor Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre (a recreation of an Elizabethan-era playhouse), the indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre, and the intimate Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre. Each season features approximately 8-9 productions, balancing beloved Shakespeare plays like Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet with acclaimed musicals and modern works. The festival was awarded the prestigious Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2000, cementing its reputation as one of America's premier repertory companies.

Planning Your Visit to the Shakespeare Festival

The Utah Shakespeare Festival draws over 100,000 visitors to Cedar City each season, making it the region's largest cultural tourism driver. Beyond the main stage performances, the festival offers free Greenshow pre-show entertainment, backstage tours, play seminars, and actor talkbacks. Many visitors combine a Shakespeare weekend with visits to nearby Cedar Breaks National Monument, Brian Head Resort, and Kolob Canyons. Cedar City is approximately 1 hour north of St. George via I-15, making it an easy day trip or overnight excursion. Season tickets and individual show tickets are available at bfrg.org, and popular shows sell out well in advance.