THINKING SHAKESPEARE LIVE! to Return to The Old Globe

The Old Globe's event Thinking Shakespeare Live!, directed by the Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in The Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Priority seating goes on sale to Globe subscribers and donors on Friday, April 4 at noon, with sales to the general public beginning on Friday, April 18 at noon, and will be available online.

Drawn from Edelstein’s approachable and inviting book Thinking Shakespeare: A How-To Guide for Student Actors, Directors, and Anyone Else Who Wants to Feel More Comfortable with the Bard, Thinking Shakespeare Live! will feature Edelstein, who will be joined by three professional classical actors. Immediately after the event, Edelstein will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase at the theatre.

This program is an ideal introduction to Shakespeare for families and young audiences, as well as an exciting new look at the playwright for Bardophiles. Edelstein has performed Thinking Shakespeare Live! across the country, including at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

“Presenting Thinking Shakespeare Live! is always a highlight of the year for me,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “As the Globe celebrates our house playwright with two of his most beguiling plays in our summer Festival—The Comedy of Errors and All’s Well That Ends Well—I have the wonderful opportunity to talk with our audience about how Shakespeare conjures his word-magic and how actors and directors make these great plays soar to vivid life. It’s a fun and fast-paced 75 minutes that will help you think about Shakespeare in new ways. I love doing it and I hope you’ll join me!”

In addition to serving as Artistic Director at the Globe, Edelstein is a renowned stage director, producer, podcast host, and educator. He has directed over half of the Bard’s plays. Among his Globe directing credits are What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, The Twenty-Seventh Man, the world premiere of Rain, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Romeo and Juliet, and the world premiere adaptation of Henry 6, among others. He oversaw The Old Globe’s inaugural Classical Directing Fellowship program. Prior to joining the Globe, Edelstein was the Director of the Shakespeare initiative at The Public Theater (New York City), and the Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company (New York City). He is also the creator and host of The Old Globe and Pushkin Industries’ podcast Where There’s a Will: Finding Shakespeare, an exploration of the many ways Shakespeare has made his way into unexpected corners of American life. His book Thinking Shakespeare is considered the standard text on American Shakespearean acting.

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