This year we look back and celebrate our 15th season with exciting events sure to please our regular patrons and tempt new festival guests to celebrate with us. On September 23, 1994, the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival debuted its premiere production, the comedy favorite A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since then, each autumn the Shakespeare Festival has returned with a Mainstage production as the centerpiece of the various events. Never have we repeated any of our Mainstage productions – until now. To celebrate our 15th anniversary season we will again feature A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the centerpiece of our festival. Join us as we go BACK TO THE FOREST and recreate our inaugural production with an all new concept, remember festivals past, and celebrate Shakespeare, his culture, and theatre arts through various entertaining and inspiring events and activities. We invite you to use the enclosed calendar to plan you own schedule so as to enjoy it all!

BACK TO THE FOREST means back to the classic love story: boy meets girl, but girl’s father has already betrothed her to other boy. Other girl loves other boy already betrothed to first girl, but other boy already betrothed can’t stand the other girl as he already loves the girl to whom he’s betrothed. So, for those trying to keep score boy 1 loves girl 1, and girl 1 loves boy 1, but girl 1 is betrothed (thanks dad) to boy 2. Girl 2 loves boy 2, but boy 2 doesn’t reciprocate and instead loves girl 1, who, remember, loves boy 1 and not boy 2. As they chase their dreams and each other into the forest, they are observed and ultimately aided, in a roundabout and humorous fashion, by the forest fairy folk.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a lyrical expression of human longing, an exploration of the human heart, and a dance of human desires. Surely one of the most well-loved and accessible of Shakespeare’s comedies, this year’s production, with theatre Professor Karen Libman directing, promises to leave you breathless with enchantment.

BACK TO THE FOREST also means bringing back past festival participants. This season we will be bringing back an actor from seasons past to perform in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Additionally our production stage manager, the director of Bard to Go, the directors of the Greenshow, the lighting designer, and our storyteller have all been part of festivals past. Come BACK TO THE FOREST with us and make yourself a part of the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival.

In addition, the festival’s popular traveling production, Bard to Go that takes Shakespeare to the classroom, returns with a new production titled Kissing and Courting.

Events also include a public presentation by renowned Shakespeare scholar Dr. Stephen Greenblatt; special productions from a visiting Chinese performance group; a storyteller; Greenshow performances; a Bollywood film festival; the Renaissance Faire; and a special 15th Anniversary Season Celebration Reception. The festival will conclude November 1 with an awards presentation for the festival student competition and a free public performance of Bard to Go: Kissing and Courting.