The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Adds Star Power to Its Upcoming Season

“All the world’s a stage” – including Forest Park in St. Louis.

Brought to life amongst the natural landscape of the urban park, a funny, lusty production of As You Like It will draw crowds to the 24th annual St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, which runs from May 29 to June 23.

“Resembling the fictional Forest of Arden, Forest Park is the ideal location for a production of As You Like It,” Tom Ridgely, producing artistic director for the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, says. “As the sun sets and the stars appear, you’ll get swept up in the show and the surrounding environment, forgetting for a moment that you’re in St. Louis.”

In the spontaneous romp, the brilliantly resourceful heroine, Rosalind, and her friends are exiled from the confines of city life, giving them the freedom to explore new identities, friendships and, of course, love. “Rosalind is Shakespeare’s most fully developed, most interesting female character,” Ridgely continues. “In certain circles, she’s called the female Hamlet.”

Featuring new songs from St. Louis indie singer-songwriter Beth Bombara – plus, a lavish Gilded Age setting – this Shakespearean experience will warm your heart and leave you longing for a sweeter life.

“People might not realize the importance of music in Shakespeare’s plays, especially the comedies,” Ridgely says, “but with Beth Bombara composing and performing the score, I think that our audiences will take note. Beth will actually have a part in the play – her and her band are woven into the story – which is another really cool element.”

During the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, performances take place from Tuesday through Sunday, beginning at 8 p.m. You can come and go as you please, and there will be food trucks and drink vendors on site to satisfy any cravings.

Typically, theaters are founded by an impresario – a producer or a director – but the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival has a different origin story. “Put simply, a group of St. Louis residents thought that they and their fellow citizens deserved a festival of this magnitude, and so they set about building it,” Ridgely says. “Today, the festival aims to bring art and culture to as many people and places in the region as possible while spotlighting the ways in which Shakespeare has shaped our lives.”

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is “free forever to everyone always,” and no reservations are required. Access and opportunity are important pillars of the festival, which is why it also takes the show on the road.

TourCO, a far-reaching arm of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, is a COVID-19 pivot that stuck. “When the curtain temporarily closed on indoor theaters, we had a unique opportunity to take our outdoor theater to green spaces across the region,” Ridgely explains. “Most of the neighborhoods that we tour don’t have other performances, and we’re giving them a taste of the arts and culture available in the area.”

This year, from July 30 to Aug. 25, TourCO will take a larger-than-life production of The Tempest to 24 parks in Missouri and Illinois. Every performance is an hour and a half, and they begin with a living study guide, a short introduction in which the actors greet the audience, talk about the play and perform an excerpt that teases out the themes, characters and plot points.

“[The living study guide] is a fun way to prepare the audience for what they’re going to see,” Ridgely says, “and when the scene happens, it really lands. It’s another way to demystify Shakespeare and make his work accessible to all.”

The Tempest was one of Shakespeare’s last plays – and his most magical. A shipwreck lands the cast on an exotic island full of spirits, which will be portrayed by oversized, locally inspired puppets. It’s a spectacle that you shouldn’t miss.

“Every cultural hot spot in the world produces great Shakespeare, and St. Louis is one of them,” Ridgely says. “And here, you’re not experiencing it in a controlled environment; you’re immersed in nature, surrounded by people and animals. It reminds you what it means to be alive.”