Brian Vaughn News

With so much to look forward to in 2016, the Utah Shakespeare Festival has secured the rights to Disney's beloved musical, Mary Poppins. Before a public announcement could be made a signed contract and confirmation had to be received which just happened late last week.

The future is rising at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Taking shape on the campus of Southern Utah University is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts, which will house the Festival's new outdoor theatre, the Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre; the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre; and much needed production, rehearsal and education space.

In May the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded 1,023 grants totaling $74,326,900 to nonprofit arts organizations in all 50 states plus five U.S. jurisdictions. From that, twelve Utah groups received over $1 million in funding with the Utah Shakespeare Festival receiving $35,000 for its production of William Shakespeare's Henry IV Part Two as part of the larger History Cycle initiative.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival will hold its eighth annual fundraising event at Lawry's The Prime Rib Restaurant, 4043 Howard Hughes Parkway, in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 23, 2015. This event will be a big birthday bash in honor of Shakespeare's 451st birthday. Funds raised at this event help to pay for the Festival's plays, interactive experiences, and educational programming.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced the casting of the first eight actors for the 2015 season. All are familiar faces, having appeared at the Festival in the past. Actors include Tony Amendola, Melinda Pfundstein, Aaron Galligan-Stierle, Sam Ashdown, Betsy Mugavero, Peter Sham, David Ivers and Brian Vaughn. Please check for complete casting available soon at www.bard.org.

Nine highly-talented directors from across the country are already knee-deep in costume designs, scenery sketches, and play scripts as they prepare to create the transformative stories of their plays for the 54th season of the Utah Shakespeare Festival June 25 to October 31.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced Becky Merold as the new production manager for the Festival. Becky has worked at the Festival seasonally for twelve years as a stage manager and has worked on more than twenty plays throughout her tenure at the Festival.

To some audience members THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR may not be the most familiar of Shakespeare's comedies, but after seeing this production it now stands in my top three. Orlando Shakespeare always does a great job keeping the material fresh and accessible to all audiences. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR is a natural fit for the Shakes interpretation, which sets the play in the late 1950s in a shiny suburb of America.

William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor runs tonight, February 4, through March 7, 2015 at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF presents The Merry Wives of Windsor from tonight, February 4 - March 7, 2015 in the Margeson Theater.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF presents The Merry Wives of Windsor from February 4 - March 7, 2015 in the Margeson Theater.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF presents The Merry Wives of Windsor from February 4 - March 7, 2015 in the Margeson Theater. Directed by Brian Vaughn (2013's Othello), Shakespeare's comedy meets 1950s sitcom in this high-spirited romp full of mistaken identities, cross-dressing, and lots of canned laughter. Also part of the Theater's Classic Repertory Series, To Kill a Mockingbird (January 21 - March 8) and Henry V (February 18 - March 22) will play concurrently. Tickets to all three productions are available now by calling (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, visiting orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

As the weather gets crisper and the nights get longer, the Utah Shakespeare Festival is gearing up for its fall season. The outrageous farce, Boeing Boeing, by Marc Camoletti opens tonight, September 17, and Steven Dietz's adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure opens September 18. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which opened in June, bridges the gap between summer and fall. All three shows will run in repertory in the Randall L. Jones Theatre until October 18.

As the weather gets crisper and the nights get longer, the Utah Shakespeare Festival is gearing up for its fall season. The outrageous farce, Boeing Boeing, by Marc Camoletti opens September 17, and Steven Dietz's adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure opens September 18. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which opened in June, bridges the gap between summer and fall. All three shows will run in repertory in the Randall L. Jones Theatre until October 18.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF announces partial casting for the seven productions in its 2014-2015 Signature Series. Following an extensive nationwide search, Artistic Director Jim Helsinger has handpicked a talented group of Broadway veterans and local favorites to bring the Theater's 26th Season to life.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has created a new internship experience for Southern Utah University undergraduates. The Festival Fellowship Program provided SUU students an opportunity to immerse themselves in professional theatre while gaining credit towards their degree. Participating in the inaugural year are Henry Ballesteros, Madison Ford, Josh Hopkins, Amber James, Trevor Messenger, Kristy Dennett, Errin Gropp, Kristy Koslowski, Ryan Turpin, and Jacob Whitney.

Bardway Baby! is back at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for its fifth annual night of musical entertainment. Bardway, Baby! is a late-night concert event which, this year, will feature the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Performed by Festival actors, the concert will be held on two nights, August 1 and August 8 at 11:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets are $25 for reserved seating and are available now at the Festival ticket office or by calling 1-800-PLAYTIX.

After an extensive search and interview process, the Utah Shakespeare Festival recently announced the hiring of Zachary Murray as its new general manager.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival recently revealed its 2015 season, eight exciting and diverse comedies, musicals, tragedies, and histories running from June to October. Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn announced the season, which includes four Shakespeare classics, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, a classic American farce, one of the world's greatest suspense thrillers, and the story of the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.