Richmond Shakespeare

06/04/2026

🎭✨ Announcing the 2026 Shakespeare Fest! ✨🎭

This summer, step beyond the stage and into the story.

From the enchanting gardens of Richmond to the historic amphitheatre at William & Mary, Richmond Shakespeare invites you to experience theatre in some of Virginia’s most beautiful and historic settings.

🌿 As You Like It
📍 Sabot School's Gillette Garden, Richmond
📅 June 25 – July 12

🌳 As You Like It
📍 Martha Wren Briggs Amphitheatre at Lake Matoaka, Williamsburg
📅 July 17 & 18

🇺🇸 The Complete History of America (abridged)
📍 Lab Theatre at Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, Williamsburg
📅 July 30 – August 2

🎩 The Importance of Being Earnest
📍 Richmond Triangle Players
📅 August 6 – 29

Join us for a season filled with romance, comedy, adventure, history, and unforgettable performances in extraordinary places.

🎟️ Tickets and memberships available now at RichmondShakespeare.org

06/03/2026

🎭 WE'RE HIRING! 🎭

Richmond Shakespeare is seeking members of our Stage Management Team for our upcoming productions of As You Like It and The Importance of Being Earnest!

🌿 As You Like It
Directed by Claire Wittman
📍 Sabot School's Gillette Garden, Richmond
📅 June 25 – July 12

🌳 Plus special performances at the historic Martha Wren Briggs Amphitheatre at Lake Matoaka in Williamsburg
📅 July 17 & 18

🎩 The Importance of Being Earnest
Directed by Irene Kuykendall
📍 Richmond Triangle Players Robert B. Moss Theatre
📅 August 6 – 29

💰 Pay: $50–$60 per performance (based on role: ASM or SM)
➕ $300 rehearsal and travel stipend

Join us for an exciting summer of Shakespeare, comedy, outdoor theatre, and collaboration with some of Virginia's finest artists!

📋 For full details and application information, visit:
richmondshakespeare.org/employment

Please share with the stage managers and theatre professionals in your network!

05/19/2026

Public Announcement from the Richmond Shakespeare Board of Trustees:

Artistic Director James Ricks will step down from his leadership role at Richmond Shakespeare at the end of May. Since 2018, James has led the aesthetic mission of the Richmond-based theater company, producing seven highly-regarded seasons including the Richmond Shakespeare Festival (in partnership with Agecroft Hall & Gardens) and celebrated programs such as Bootleg Shakespeare, Bardathon and Festival Young Company. Previously he served as Artistic Director of Henley Street Theatre, where he was named 2013 Richmond Theatre Community Circle (RTCC) Best Director of a Play for his production of Julius Caesar. At Quill/Richmond Shakespeare, James directed Love’s Labor’s Lost, Lysistrata, As You Like It, The Tempest, Red Velvet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Bottom Show, An Iliad, She Stoops To Conquer, Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, School For Lies, Doctor Faustus and, most recently, Macbeth. During his tenure, Richmond Shakespeare earned 71 RTCC award nominations and 15 awards. In 2019 , the Richmond Shakespeare Festival was honored by the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly for its contributions to cultural life within the Commonwealth. The Board expresses sincere gratitude to James Ricks for his vision, passion and contribution to our mission and to the Richmond arts community.

05/14/2026

🎭✨ Calling all young actors, artists, and Shakespeare lovers! ✨🎭

The Richmond Shakespeare Festival Young Company is back this summer! 🌿⚔️📖

Designed for students ages 13–19, FYC is an exciting training program where students will work with professional theatre artists in:
🎭 Classical acting
⚔️ Stage combat
📖 Shakespeare scene study
🎶 Music & performance
🏛️ Theatre history

No previous Shakespeare experience required! 💫

📅 Classes run June 15–24
💰 Tuition: $350
❤️ Scholarships available!

Spend your summer creating, performing, and celebrating Shakespeare under the stars 🌙✨

🔗 Register today: https://richmondshakespeare.org/festival-young-company

04/24/2026

We are saddened to hear that our friends at Swift Creek Mill have had to make the arduous decision to pause their operations.

We stand with them as they take this time to right their ship as they navigate through the ever volatile waters of theatre production.

Please, go show your support and check out their upcoming shows! They do terrific work and would love to see their community show some love right now.

Their youth production of The Elves and the Shoemaker continues as planned. And before they go quiet, please check out their final performances of Pump Boys and Dinettes this week, their Wine Dinner on April 30, and the Cabaret 'If I Sing' on May 8 & 9 are still ahead.

Patrons with questions about tickets, gift cards, flex passes, and dining tickets have three options now — hold, donate, or request a refund — with a fourth option in the works. Full details at swiftcreekmill.com.

Today, we share something important with you - and we wanted you to hear it from us directly.

After more than 60 years of professional theatre, dining, and community in the heart of Chesterfield, the Board of Directors of Swift Creek Mill Theatre has made the difficult decision to pause operations, effective May 9, 2026.

This is not a decision we made easily, and it is not the end of the story. The Board is committed to a thoughtful, honest assessment of how Swift Creek Mill Theatre can build a sustainable future — one worthy of the legacy you've helped us create. A formal decision on the path forward will be made at our August board meeting.

Our youth production of The Elves and the Shoemaker continues as planned. And before we go quiet, we want to see you — final performances of Pump Boys and Dinettes this week, our Wine Dinner on April 30, and the Cabaret If I Sing on May 8 & 9 are still ahead.

Patrons with questions about tickets, gift cards, flex passes, and dining tickets have three options now — hold, donate, or request a refund — with a fourth option in the works. Full details at swiftcreekmill.com.

To our patrons, our donors, our volunteers, and every person who has ever walked through our doors: thank you. Sixty years of this community's support has meant everything.

We hope this is not goodbye — just see you soon.



Questions: [email protected]
Media Inquiries: [email protected]

04/23/2026

Happy Birthday (And Deathday) to our north star, Mr. William Shakespeare!

To celebrate, we offer you these idioms and phrases that you perhaps might not have known are from Shakespeare:

- It's Greek to me
- Vanished into thin air
- Budge an inch
- Tongue-tied
- Tower of strength
- In a pickle
- Knit your brows
- Insist on fair play
- Slept not one wink
- Stand on ceremony
- Laugh yourself into stitches
- Short shrift
- Too much of a good thing
- Seen better days
- Fool's paradise
- A foregone conclusion
- Laughing stock
- What the dickens
- That's the long and the short of it
- The game is up
- Be that as it may
- As luck would have it
- One fell swoop
- Without rhyme or reason

04/18/2026

🗡️ FINAL PERFORMANCE TONIGHT — SOLD OUT! 🧙‍♀️

Richmond, you did it.
MACBETH is officially SOLD OUT for its final performance tonight at 7:30 PM! 🎭🔥

But if you’re still hoping to get in… 👀

⚡ STANDBY LIST OPENS AT 6:30 PM ⚡
We will release any unclaimed seats and get as many people in as possible.

📍 Gottwald Playhouse
📸

No guarantees—but if you’re feeling bold… fate may be on your side.

🧪 “Something wicked this way comes…” — one last time.

04/17/2026

🔥 Only TWO chances left to witness the ambition, betrayal, and bloodshed of MACBETH! 🔥

Only a few tickets remain for this unforgettable run—don’t wait. Critics and audiences are raving, and this is your last chance to see it live.

🗡️ Tonight at 7:30 PM
🗡️ Saturday at 7:30 PM

The witches are calling… will you answer?

📍Gottwald Playhouse
📸
🎟️ TIX: https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1056449/

🧪 Something wicked this way comes… for the final time.

04/16/2026

🎭 Our Final Student Matinee of MACBETH 🗡️

Today we wrapped up our final student matinee of MACBETH, welcoming students from Caroline High School, Monacan High School, Highland Springs High School, and New Bridge Academy!

✨ This season, we’ve had the joy of hosting thousands of students from across the region—many experiencing live theatre for the very first time.

Pictured here is today’s post-show talkback, where students engaged directly with the cast in a lively, thoughtful discussion about the play, the process, and the power of Shakespeare.

📚 From the page to the stage, these moments of connection, curiosity, and conversation are what it’s all about.

Thank you to all the students, teachers, and schools who joined us this year—we can’t wait to welcome you back! ❤️