Brian Vaughn News

Utah Shakespeare Festival Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn recently announced a slate of ten highly-creative, talented and experienced directors for the Festival's 2017 season.

Utah Shakespeare Festival Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn recently announced a slate of ten highly-creative, talented and experienced directors for the Festival's 2017 season.

R. Scott Phillips, executive director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, has announced his plan to retire at the end of the Festival's 2016 season.  He will continue with the Festival through March 1, 2017 to ensure a smooth and successful transition for his successor.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has announced a new name, an increased commitment, and an enhanced mission, for its new plays program. Formerly known as the New American Playwrights Project (NAPP), the Festival primary vehicle for exploring new works will now be a new program, Words3.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival has been selected as one of three theatres to present the United States premiere of the play Shakespeare in Love, adapted from the Academy Award-winning film of the same name by Lee Hall, it was announced today.

The most recent season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the last in the iconic Adams Shakespearean Theatre, was a wholehearted artistic success, according to Artistic Directors David Ivers and Brian Vaughn. The last spotlight was dimmed on October 31, after a Halloween production of DRACULA -- and now 2015 is one for the books.

The world's most famous vampire, a cigar-smoking man in a dress, and one of theatre's most loveable mutts can all be found this fall at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Five of the Festival's six summer shows will be closing the first week of September; but Charley's Aunt will continue its summer run, along with two additional offerings, Dracula and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, through October 31.

Bardway, Baby! is back at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for its sixth annual night of musical entertainment. Bardway, Baby! is a late-night concert event which, this year, will feature the music of Walt Disney productions. Performed by Festival actors, the concert will be tonight, August 7 at 11:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Utah Shakespeare Festival Founder Fred C. Adams, is a huge hit, which has prompted the Festival to add two matinee performances of this hilarious battle of the sexes. The additional shows will be at 2 p.m. on August 5 and 18 in the Auditorium Theatre. The production runs through September 5, 2015. Scroll down for a look at the show!

Bardway, Baby! is back at the Utah Shakespeare Festival for its sixth annual night of musical entertainment. Bardway, Baby! is a late-night concert event which, this year, will feature the music of Walt Disney productions. Performed by Festival actors, the concert will be August 7 at 11:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets are $25 for reserved seating and are available now at the Festival ticket office, online at www.bard.org, and by calling 1-800-PLAYTIX.

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.