Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival Announces 2019 Season

The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival is proud to reveal its 2019 season, featuring the return of perennial audience favorites as well as an exciting new focus on community events, culminating in a new exhibit at The History Museum in South Bend. The 2019 NDSF season will include Shakespeare After Hours (July 19, 2019), ShakeScenes (July 20, 2019), and Shakespeare in Fremont Park (July 25-26, 2019). The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival's Touring and Professional Companies will return in the summer of 2020, as part of the upcoming 20th anniversary celebration of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.

Kicking off the 2019 season is Shakespeare After Hours (July 19), the raucous, no-holds-barred take on Shakespeare's "bawdy, boozy, and bloody side." Returning once again to LangLab in South Bend, IN, this adults-only performance features appearances from dozens of local artists. After two consecutive sellout years, Shakespeare After Hours will delight audiences in two separate performances (7pm and 9:30pm).

• WHAT: Shakespeare After Hours

• WHEN: Friday, July 19, 2019, 7:00pm & 9:30pm

• WHERE: LangLab, 1302 High Street, South Bend, IN

• TICKETS: $15 at shakespeare.nd.edu. On sale soon.

Returning to Washington Hall is ShakeScenes (July 20), an annual, family-friendly event featuring performances from dozens of young people from throughout Michiana. Now in its 16th year, ShakeScenes offers a unique spin on some of Shakespeare's most famed works, brought to life by young talent from the Michiana area. This always-popular event begins at 2pm in beautiful Washington Hall on the University of Notre Dame campus.

• WHAT: ShakeScenes

• WHEN: Saturday, July 20, 2019, 2:00pm

• WHERE: Washington Hall, Notre Dame, IN

• TICKETS: $10 at shakespeare.nd.edu. On sale soon.

Now in its 3rd year, Shakespeare in Fremont Park (July 25-26) returns to Fremont Park in South Bend, IN, with a brand-new production directed by award-winning local favorite Marlon Burnley and featuring talent drawn from local neighborhoods. This seven-week program involves community-based organizations in South Bend, and allows young people to work directly with adults to create, rehearse, and perform a theatre production inspired by Shakespeare. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic baskets, and get there early for a good spot for these FREE performances.

• WHAT: Shakespeare in Fremont Park

• WHEN: Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26, 2019, 7:00pm

• WHERE: Fremont Park, South Bend, IN

• FREE event - no tickets required.

Finally, Shakespeare at Notre Dame is proud to collaborate with The History Museum in South Bend on an exciting new exhibit showcasing the past, present, and future of Shakespearean performance, analysis, and culture at the University of Notre Dame. Opening August 24, 2019 and running into the summer of 2021, this remarkable exhibit explores-through costumes, photographs, props, and interactives-the influence of Shakespeare throughout the University's history, the wide range of Shakespeare productions over the last two decades, and its impact on the Michiana region. In addition to the exhibit, look forward to a regular series of unique performances throughout the History Museum's galleries, along with many other engaging events leading up to our 20th anniversary celebration in 2020.

"Celebrating our 20th anniversary with an exhibit at The History Museum is tremendously exciting," says Grant Mudge, Ryan Producing Artistic Director of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival. "It reflects the part Shakespeare has played at the University of Notre Dame and in the lives of area residents not only in the past two decades, but for over one hundred and seventy years."

"We are thrilled to partner with Shakespeare at Notre Dame in exhibiting their extraordinary story," says Marilyn Thompson, Director of Marketing at The History Museum. "From the first performance of Shakespeare at Notre Dame in 1847 to the celebration of the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival's 20th anniversary in 2020, the Bard's presence on the University's campus has captivated students, residents, and visitors alike."

• WHAT: Shakespeare at Notre Dame Exhibit

• WHEN: Opening August 24, 2019 and running through summer 2021

• WHERE: The History Museum, 808 West Washington Street, South Bend, IN

• ADMISSION: Visit historymuseumsb.org for more information.

For more information on the 2019 Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare at Notre Dame, visit shakespeare.nd.edu, or contact Audience Development Manager Jason Comerford at 574.631.3777 or shakes@nd.edu.

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