Utah Shakespeare Festival Celebrates 50 Years

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, a number of entities have come together to showcase the Festival in seven different exhibits. Guests will better understand the Festival's history by visiting these exhibits and seeing fifty years unfold through photos, programs, posters, displays, and a special showing of Shakespeare's First Folio.

A unique way to experience all the exhibits is through the Festival's Commemorative Exhibit Passport program. Anniversary passports can be picked up for free at the Randall L. Jones Theatre Gift Shop. At each exhibit location, patrons will receive a passport stamp. Collect all seven stamps and return your completed passport to the gift shop in the Randall L. Jones Theatre Lobby for a special treat.

If guests prefer, a two-hour guided tour through five of the exhibits is also being offered for only $10. Follow Ryan Paul, author of Celebrate 50 Years anniversary book, as he explains the history, growth and impact the Utah Shakespeare Festival has had on Southern Utah. Tours are from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesdays and Fridays, July 5 through September 2. Fridays, September 9 through October 21. The tour will begin at Frontier Homestead State Park. Tickets can be purchased at the Festival Ticket Office.

Executive Director R. Scott Phillips invites everyone attending the Festival and all local residents to participate in the incredible exhibits. "We think it's an excellent way to celebrate the 50th anniversary and at the same time provide an opportunity to Festival patrons and the community to learn more about the history of the Utah Shakespeare Festival," said Phillips.

The complete list of exhibits is listed below and for more information about the 50th anniversary season visit http://bard.org/events/specialevents/50thcelebration.html.

Exhibits

• June 9-September 3: Festival Posters and Souvenir Programs?A look at Festival posters and souvenir programs through the years. Cedar City Library in the Park, 303 N. 100 E. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Free admission. 
• June 23-September 3: The Costume Designers' Art?This exhibition will feature various costumes, costume renderings, and other artwork highlighting the work of the Festival's costume artists and technicians. Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, Southern Utah University. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Free admission. 
• June 23-September 3: We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On?This Utah Arts Council traveling photo exhibit celebrates fifty years of the Festival as seen through the eyes of its company photographers. Gerald R. Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Free admission. 
• June 23-September 3: Golden Dreams?This special exhibit celebrates fifty golden years at the Utah Shakespeare Festival through costumes, props, and scenery. Auditorium Theatre Lobby. Free admission.
• June 23-October 22: Anatomy of a Season?Explore the different elements that all must come together for every production at the Festival. Iron County Visitors' Center, 581 N. Main St. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Free admission.
• June 23-October 22: The Past is Prologue?Follow the history of the Festival in posters, stories, scenery, properties, and photographs from 1962 to the present day. Frontier Homestead State Park Museum, 635 N. Main St. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $3.
• June 23-October 15: More Precious than Gold: The Works of William Shakespeare?You won't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view a priceless first folio and two quarto editions of Shakespeare's work which are on loan from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Gerald R. Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Free admission.

Tickets for the Festival's 50th anniversary season, which will run from June 23 to Oct. 22, 2011, are now on sale. The eight-play season includes Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and The Winter's Tale. The season will also include Meredith Willson's great American musical The Music Man, Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, Michael Frayn's Noises Off!, and the mystery thriller Dial M for Murder by Frederick Knott. For more information and tickets visit www.bard.org or call 1-800-PLAYTIX.

 

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