ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE & More Set for The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival 25th Anniversary

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival has unveiled its landmark 25th anniversary season, featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with the Saint Louis Zoo (July 8-August 17), Hamlet at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park (opening May 30, Tuesday-Sunday at 8 p.m. through June 22) and a one-night-only performance by Tony-Award-nominee and Grammy Award-winner Patrick Page at its 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration on May 15.

With over 100 productions scheduled for its 25th season, the Shakespeare Festival plans to reach more communities and visitors to the region than ever before. Bringing free or low cost access to live theater in 20 parks and public spaces across the bi-state.

"We are bringing the very best of Shakespeare front and center this season with a special expanded lineup," says Tom Ridgely, Producing Artistic Director. "Right out the gate in 2001, free Shakespeare in Forest Park was a hit. Now, it sees some of the largest single night audiences for Shakespeare anywhere in the world. This year, we couldn't be more excited to see the return of Hamlet to our mainstage directed by Michael Sexton, one of Broadway's most in demand Shakespeare experts. As well as welcome Patrick Page to St. Louis for his masterful one-man show All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain."

Free Shakespeare in Forest Park will be followed by the mammoth debut of a wildly fun family production Romeo & Zooliet. An imaginative stage adaptation based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet which will run for six weeks at the Saint Louis Zoo beginning July 8. The production will feature dazzling animal puppetry by world-renowned Michael Curry Design (Broadway's The Lion King and Frozen, plus Olympic and Super Bowl Ceremonies).

"St. Louis Shakespeare Festival has been our close neighbor in Forest Park for many years and we're thrilled to collaborate on an original performance celebrating both Shakespeare and the natural world," said Michael Macek, Saint Louis Zoo director. "This impressive production will engage children and their families in the arts, telling a timeless story of friendship through the eyes of animal characters."

The full season will include even more one-off events and collaborations with organizations across the region highlighting Shakespeare's cultural legacy across St. Louis

25th Anniversary Season Highlights:

25th Anniversary Celebration featuring Patrick Page's All The Devils are Here

May 15, 2025 at The Sheldon Concert Hall
As part of the Festival's 25th Anniversary Season Celebration, you can catch this tour de force performance by Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Patrick Page (King Lear, Hadestown). Moving expertly through Shakespeare's canon, Page illuminates the ever-evolving conception of evil by delving into more than a dozen of his most wicked villains. Thrilling, biting, hilarious, and enlightening, what Page delivers is a masterclass on the most terrifying subject of them all: human nature. A rare opportunity for St. Louis to see "one of America's greatest classical actors" (The Wall Street Journal) on stage.

Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet directed by Michael Sexton

May 28 - June 22, Tuesday-Sunday at 8 p.m. • Free in Shakespeare Glen at Forest Park
Shakespeare in the Park is the Festival's flagship production and the official start of the summer season. As one of the world's largest free and outdoor Shakespeare productions the shows are accessible for everyone, always. To mark its 25th production in Shakespeare Glen, the Festival turns to its greatest masterpiece-Hamlet. Directed by the renowned Shakespeare expert Michael Sexton of New York. Audiences can expect a modern take on the dark and complex family drama. Limited reserved seating will also be available for purchase.

Romeo & Zooliet

July 8 - August 17, Tuesday-Sundays at 7 p.m. • In the Saint Louis Zoo on Historic Hill
Have you ever wondered what happens when the gates of the zoo close and the keepers go home for the night? What if the animals put on their very own Shakespeare performance? That's the basis for the wild new play created by the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival with the Saint Louis Zoo. The ground-breaking partnership will launch in July and run for six weeks only featuring stunning animal puppets by Michael Curry Designs (The Lion King on Broadway, Disney's Frozen and Ice Age Live!) in a delightfully playful take on Romeo & Juliet. Tickets go on sale on April 23.

Additional 2025 Programs include...

Confluence New Play Festival

March 27 - 29 at 3333 Washington • $15 per ticket
Annual showcase of emerging playwrights from Missouri and Illinois. This year playwright fellows are Aurora Behlke (St. Louis), M. Kamara (Carbondale) and Aaron Scully (Warrensburg). Single tickets and weekend passes are available now.

TourCo: A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Tre-von Griffith

August 19 - September 7, Tuesday - Sunday at 6:30 p.m. • Free in Parks Across St. Louis Metro
This is bite-sized Shakespeare in the Park in locations across the St. Louis metro area. A traveling group of six actors transforms one of Shakespeare's works into a 90-minute family friendly event in a park near you. This year's production is a music filled remount of the 2022 TourCo, A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by artist Tre'von Griffith.

Shakespeare in the Streets: East St. Louis" directed by Kathryn Bentley

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