Shakespeare & Company Adds CIRCUS & THE BARD, MOTHER PLAY and More To Season 2025

Shakespeare & Company has revealed its remaining titles of Season 2025, including Circus & The Bard, co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge, and Pedro Reis; Mother Play: a play in five evictions by Paul Vogel; the return of of both its new-works series Plays in Process, and its traditional winter show, this year a costumed reading of Sense & Sensibility by Kate Hamill.

Allyn Burrows, Shakespeare & Company's Artistic Director, said he's thrilled with the season's scope.

"We truly have something for everyone this coming season, a whole gamut of offerings," he said. "We hope that folks can take in several shows, as they're all so different; some familiar, and some not at all!"

For the kids and the kids in all of us, Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of Circus based in Sarasota, Fla., present an intersection of professional circus acts and Shakespeare's characters, featuring aerialists, jugglers, quick-change artists, and more paired with performances of Shakespeare's text. Circus & The Bard runs from August 21 through 31 at the Tina Packer Playhouse.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, Mother Play will be directed by Ariel Bock and staged from August 29 through October 5 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. A sharp-witted, darkly comedic exploration of family, identity, and survival spanning four decades, five apartments, and many hardships, Mother Play premiered on Broadway just last year, earning four Tony nominations, two Drama Desk Awards, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.

Returning for its fourth year, Plays in Process - slated for Tuesday, August 26 through Thursday, August 28 - offers a glimpse into the inner workings of play creation as new works are readied for the stage. This season, Shakespeare & Company gives an early look into three plays, presented as readings outdoors at the tented Rose Footprint Theatre:

• The Shallows by Jim Frangione, directed by Judy Braha;

• Free and Equal by Kaia Calhoun, directed by Kaia Calhoun and Tina Packer, and

• Adults at Play, written and directed by Ken Ludwig.

Sense & Sensibility by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen and directed by Ariel Bock, will conclude the season with a costumed reading December 12 through 14 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre.

These shows join the titles already announced for Season 2025, including

• The Victim by Lawrence Goodman, directed by Daniel Gidron, June 19 through July 20 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre;

• Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret, co-created by Allyn Burrows and Jacob Ming-Trent and directed by Burrows, from July 1 through 6 at the Tina Packer Playhouse;

• Romeo and Juliet, directed by Kevin G. Coleman and Jonathan Epstein from July 12 through August 10, outdoors at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre;

• August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, directed by Christopher V. Edwards, July 25 through August 24 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre;

• The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Nicole Ricciardi August 14 through 24 at the Tina Packer Playhouse, and

• Celebrating Jewish Plays: An Immersive Weekend of Staged Readings, October 10 through 12 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre and Tina Packer Playhouse.

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