Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park Features Longest Season in Company History

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 26, 2022) – Kentucky Shakespeare, the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth, announces the 62nd annual free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival May 25-August 7 in Old Louisville’s Central Park.

All performances are presented free of charge at Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, the longest-running non-ticketed Shakespeare festival in the United States.

“We’re delighted to return for another magical season of our free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, and it will mark the longest run in the history of our company! The eleven-week season features 60 performances, six productions, all presented absolutely free to audience members,” said Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director.

In addition to the three main stage productions, Kentucky Shakespeare will present their Globe Players professional training program for high school students in Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kyle Ware, plus a new production of Shakespeare in Dance from the Louisville Ballet choreographed by Roger Creel (this year inspired by As You Like It), and the Late Night Shakes Shakespearean improv comedy show from the Louisville Improvisors.

The Kids’ Globe tent will open an hour before every performance during the summer with free interactive arts-based activities tied to the production, and various community pre-show groups will perform at 7:15PM nightly throughout the summer.

A variety of 36 food trucks from the Louisville Food Truck Association will rotate nightly, plus Will’s Tavern (a Brown-Forman Bar) and Will’s Gift Shop. Please visit kyshakespeare.com for more information and schedules.

Nightly Schedule:
6:00pm Food Trucks Open
7:00pm Will’s Tavern, Will’s Gift Shop, and Kids’ Globe open
7:15pm Community Pre-Show Performance
8:00pm Production Begins

The 2022 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park:
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
May 25-June 12; July 13, 16, 19, 22
The season kicks off with Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy of mistaken identity, music, and the madness of love, where nobody is quite what they seem and anything is possible!

Richard III
By William Shakespeare
June 16-26; July 12, 15, 20, 23 
Shakespeare’s charismatic, power-hungry villain embarks on an unrelenting campaign for the crown, chronicling the cataclysmic end of England’s greatest power struggle, the Wars of the Roses, in this thrilling finale to the history cycle.

The Merry Wives of Windsor
By William Shakespeare
June 30-July 10; July 14, 17, 21,24
Double-meanings, disguises, and dirty laundry as lovable rogue Sir John Falstaff sets about improving his financial situation by wooing two wealthy married women. The tables are turned, feminine wisdom triumphs, and laughter reigns supreme in this hilarious Elizabethan farce.

Much Ado About Nothing
July 27-31
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players present the beloved comedy with a cast comprised of students from multiple area high schools.

Late Night Shakes
Improvised Shakespeare
10:30PM on June 11, June 25, July 9, and July 23
The Louisville Improvisors return for a seventh year with Late Night Shakes on select Saturdays bringing late night improvised Shakespeare plays created from audience suggestions.

Louisville Ballet
Shakespeare in Dance: As You Like It
August 3-7
Rounding out the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival season, Louisville Ballet returns to the Festival stage for a sixth season to present a Shakespeare-inspired dance premiere based on As You Like It.

ASL interpretation will be provided for the following performances: Thursday, June 2 for Twelfth Night, Thursday, June 23 for Richard III, and Thursday, July 7 for The Merry Wives of Windsor. (For all ASL scheduled performances, the makeup rain date will be the following evening.)

Make a visit to Louisville this summer to enjoy the city’s Old Louisville neighborhood offering additional attractions such as St James Court and the Speed Art Museum, the oldest, largest and foremost museum of art in Kentucky – with free admittance on Sundays.

Additional highlights include culinary delights such as Buck’s on Ormsby, an elegant dining experience with a bar reminiscent of an Old European style hotel as well as several bed & breakfast options offering authentic charm with cozy themed rooms. For fall visits, Old Louisville hosts the St. James Court Art Show which draws a crowd of 300,000 the first weekend of October to enjoy and buy art in a festival atmosphere.

Guests can use Louisville Tourism’s annual Visitor Guide to plan an itinerary around Louisville’s top experiences. Travelers also can get attraction, lodging and dining assistance at www.gotolouisville.com.