HAMLET, TWELFTH NIGHT and More Set for Shakespeare & Company 2026 Season

Shakespeare & Company has announced the first titles of its 2026 season, including two Shakespeare plays and two reimagined "Bard out of the box" productions.

Twelfth Night, directed by Kate Kohler Amory, takes the stage July 4 at the 540-seat Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre, one of three outdoor theaters that earned Shakespeare & Company a spot on Newsweek magazine's 2025 list of 10 Best Outdoor Performance Venues in the U.S.

Following its premiere last season, Circus & the Bard returns on July 16 with The Next Chapter, telling a new story through both Shakespeare's text and professional circus performances, including aerialists, jugglers, quick-change artists, and more.

A new installment of Shakespeare & Company's original rock revue Shake It Up also returns on July 29 with The Remix, pairing both original and recognizable tunes with scenes and verse from Shakespeare's plays.

On August 13, Shakespeare's Hamlet, directed by Ariel Bock, takes the stage at the Tina Packer Playhouse.

Allyn Burrows, Shakespeare & Company's artistic director, said he is eager to roll out programming that speaks to the times, while offering a salve through storytelling.

"The theme for this next season is Integrity and Absurdity," Burrows said. "We're often confronted with a void of integrity in this world, as though we're swimming in absurdity. Our goal is to put stories out that serve as resonant diversions, providing a punch and a welcome laugh."

FLEXpass ticket packages, which offer up to 33% off regular ticket prices, early show and seat selection, no exchange fees, and other benefits, are available now at early-bird prices. Three-show FLEXpasses are $195 and are valid for one ticket to any three productions during the 2026 season. Five-show FLEXpasses are $295 and are valid for one ticket to any five productions.

Early-bird FLEXpasses may be purchased at shakespeare.org or by emailing boxoffice@shakespeare.org. Additional titles will be announced, and individual tickets will go on sale in early 2026.

Season 2026 at Shakespeare & Company includes:

Twelfth Night

By William Shakespeare
Director by Kate Kohler Amory
July 4-26
Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre

Shipwrecks, disguises, and mistaken identities spark the joyful chaos of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's most playful romantic comedy. Love runs amok, wit flies, and nothing is quite what it seems in this sun-soaked tale of music and mischief. Performed outdoors July 4-26 at one of Newsweek's Top 10 Outdoor Theater Venues in the U.S., this summer production invites audiences to relax, laugh, and revel in Shakespeare under the open sky.

Circus & the Bard: The Next Chapter

Co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge, and Pedro Reis
July 16-26
Tina Packer Playhouse

For kids-and the kids in all of us-Circus & the Bard: The Next Chapter bounces back July 16-26. Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of Circus reunite for a playful mash-up of jaw-dropping circus acts and Shakespeare's beloved characters. When high-flying feats meet the Bard's words, sparks fly, laughs abound, and something truly magical happens.

Shake It Up: The Remix

Co-created by Allyn Burrows and Jacob Ming-Trent
July 29-Aug. 2
Tina Packer Playhouse

The hit that had audiences on their feet returns-revved up and remixed. The Tina Packer Playhouse transforms once more into the Elephant Lounge for Shake It Up: The Remix, an exuberant mash-up of modern music and Shakespeare verse. Audiences are invited to clap, sing, stomp, and dance in the aisles as the players unleash a breathless, rocking revue.

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Ariel Bock
Aug. 13-30
Tina Packer Playhouse