Illinois Shakespeare Festival facts for kids
| Location | Bloomington, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Artistic director | John C. Stark |
| Festival date | Annually in June, July, August |
The Illinois Shakespeare Festival (ISF) is a fun summer event where you can watch plays by the famous writer William Shakespeare. It takes place in Bloomington, Illinois, and Normal, Illinois, in the United States. The festival started in 1978 and has been running for over 45 years!
Each year, the festival usually puts on three different plays. While many of these are Shakespeare's classics, they also show other types of plays. These can include funny old plays like Restoration comedy, lively street theater like Commedia dell'arte, or even new plays by modern writers.
The festival is put on by Illinois State University's School of Theatre and Dance. Many shows happen at the Ewing Cultural Center, on a special stage called Ewing Theatre. This stage looks like the old Globe Theatre where Shakespeare's plays were first performed. It's an open-air theater, which means you get to watch "theatre under the stars"!
Before many evening shows, you can enjoy free entertainment. This might be live jazz music, short versions of the play you're about to see, or other fun performances. Since 2008, the festival has also had special shows just for younger audiences. These are called Theatre for Young Audiences and are usually on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The festival runs every year from late June through the middle of August.
Discovering the Plays: A Look at Past Shows
The Illinois Shakespeare Festival has presented many amazing plays over the years. Most of these are by William Shakespeare, but they also include other famous works.
The festival often chooses a mix of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. For example, they have performed popular plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. They also bring to life less common but equally interesting plays.
Besides Shakespeare, the festival has shown plays by other writers. These include classic comedies like She Stoops to Conquer and The Rivals. They have even adapted famous stories like The Three Musketeers for the stage. Sometimes, they perform modern plays or new versions of Shakespeare's stories. For instance, in 2013, they showed "Failure: A Love Story." In 2018, they performed "Shakespeare in Love," based on the popular movie.
The festival was even canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it came back strong in 2021! This long history shows how much people love watching these plays come to life.
Meet the Artistic Directors
The Artistic Director is like the main leader of the festival. They help decide which plays to perform and guide the creative vision. Here are the people who have been Artistic Directors for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival:
- Cal Pritner (1978-1991)
- John Sipes (1991-1995)
- Cal MacLean (1996-2006)
- Alec Wild (2007)
- Deb Alley (2008-2012)
- Kevin Rich (2013–2017)
- John C. Stark (2017-present)
