San Francisco Shakespeare Festival Announces Play and Director For Summer 2023 Season

San Francisco Shakespeare Festival has announced that its summer 2023 Free Shakespeare in the Park production will be Shakespeare's rarely produced Cymbeline.

The play will be directed by Festival Resident Artist Maryssa Wanlass.

Maryssa's numerous Free Shakespeare performances include Much Ado About Nothing (2022); Pericles, Prince of Tyre (2021); As You Like it (2019), Hamlet (2017);The Winter's Tale (2016); and Macbeth (2013).

Maryssa began work at SF Shakes as Lady M in the school and community tour of Macbeth (2011-2012), and since then has been drawn to the many ways that SF Shakes engages with communities.

Additionally Maryssa is a member of the SF Shakes Engagement team, currently working with Shakespeare for All Neighbors, a storytelling workshop series taking place at The Healing Well in San Francisco's Tenderloin. "We believe that everyone has a story to tell that is as important as William Shakespeare's," says Wanlass. "With Shakespeare for all Neighbors, we help connect people with their creativity to experience the joy of storytelling."

Cymbeline, Shakespeare's epic romantic adventure, is believed to be one his final plays and is widely considered one of his greatest achievements. It features a dazzling mix of comedy, tragedy, and fairy tale that concludes with inventive scenes of revelation and reconciliation. The play was selected by the company's Resident Artists, who felt that this play's sweeping story would help remind us of the power of live theater and the joy of coming together to share an epic experience.

Cymbeline returns to perform in Cupertino, Redwood City, and San Francisco (see dates and times below.) In this tale King Cymbeline of Britain has banished Posthumus who has secretly married his daughter, Princess Imogen. A series of unimaginable misadventures ensue that test the strength of their commitment to each other.

This will be the company's second production of Cymbeline, having previously staged it in 2011. Director Wanlass is interested in the fairytale quality of this story, and wants to lean in to the archetypal characters and set the play in an alternate universe fantasy realm. Casting will reflect the many communities for which SF Shakes performs, and the main love story between Imogen and Posthumus will be told with a queer lens.

Expect big performances, music, delicious villains and ultimately a family-friendly coming of age story.

Free Shakespeare in the Park returns this summer. All are invited to attend at no charge. We look forward to seeing you there!

Shows will take place at:

Cupertino's Memorial Park:

July 22-August 6 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 6:00 pm

Redwood City's Red Morton Park:

August 12-27 on Saturdays and Sundays at 6:00 pm

San Francisco's McLaren Park: September 2-10, on Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day Monday at 2:00 pm.