The nationally renowned Illinois Shakespeare Festival (ISF) announced its 2023 repertory season with three artistic offerings, including one Shakespearean comedy, one Shakespearean tragedy, and one contemporary play about the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio. All plays will run in repertory; dates will be announced later.
The season will launch in June 2023 with The Comedy of Errors, last performed at the Festival in 2013. One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors is a farcical tale of separated twins and mistaken identities. This comedic romp is an ISF favorite that includes madcap bawdiness, love at first sight, unexpected reunions, and happily-ever-afters.
What follows is the ISF premiere of The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, the most produced playwright in America in recent years. Gunderson’s award-winning The Book of Will asks us to consider a literary world that would be without Shakespeare’s First Folio and the iconic characters contained therein. The Folio was printed in 1623 and compiled by actors Henry Condell and John Heminges, who had to band together to beg, borrow, and align themselves with unsavory publishers to save their friend’s work. Set amid the noise and color of 1620s London, The Book of Will presents a story of love, loss, and laughter.
The final performance in repertory will be The Tempest, last performed at the Festival in 2010 and widely believed to be the final play Shakespeare wrote. In The Tempest, the banished noble Prospero harnesses the power of an otherworldly island to conjure a storm and torment the survivors of a shipwreck that includes the King of Naples and Prospero’s treacherous brother, Antonio. Prospero seeks revenge but discovers forgiveness and generosity in this tale full of magical spirits.
Patrons should mark their calendars for two essential events during the ISF season. Individuals and teams can take part in the annual John Stevens Memorial Golf Outing on Monday, June 19, 2023, at Ironwood Golf Course in Normal, Illinois. This annual fundraiser supports the hiring of one professional Equity actor each summer.
The season will end with the merriment of the Bard Bash and Cabaret on Sunday, August 6, 2023. This special event includes a one-of-a-kind cabaret performance featuring actors from the 2023 company.
Patrons can anticipate other staples of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, including a yet-to-be-titled Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) production. Audiences of all ages are invited to the yearly TYA play, a free family-friendly production staged on Thursday and Saturday mornings on the Ewing grounds.
The popular Summer Camps for Youth program will return with classes for students grades 6-12. Scholarships will be available based on individual need and camp enrollment. Theatre workshops for adults will also be taught by Illinois State University scholars.
Tickets to the 2023 Season will go on sale in the spring. For more information, visit www.IllinoisShakes.com or call the ISF Box Office at (309) 438-2535.
