Kentucky Shakespeare Announces 65th Season of Free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park
Kentucky Shakespeare, the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth, announces the 65th annual free Kentucky Shakespeare Festival May 28-August 10, 2025, at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Old Louisville’s Central Park.
“We are excited to share another thrilling season of free performances in Central Park, full of comedy, drama, and adventure for the 65th season of your Kentucky Shakespeare Festival! The 2025 eleven-week season features fifty-eight performances, six productions, all presented absolutely free to the community,” said Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director. “We’ll kick off the main stage season the popular romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, followed by electrifying masterpiece Hamlet, and Shakespeare’s inventive fairy tale Cymbeline, last performed on our stage in 1982. The season again features two weeks of rotating repertory in July in which all three productions will rotate nightly.”
In addition to the three main stage productions, Kentucky Shakespeare will present the classic comedy Twelfth Night from their Globe Players professional training program for high school students, plus Shakespeare in Dance: A Midsummer Night’s Dream from Louisville Ballet. Louisville Improvisors also return for their 10th season of Late Night Shakes, a late-night Shakespearean improvisation comedy show on select nights. 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 groups will perform pre-shows at 7:15PM nightly throughout the summer.
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.
A variety of 60+ food trucks from the Louisville Food Truck Association will rotate nightly throughout the summer with 2-3 per night, plus Will’s Tavern (a Brown-Forman Bar) and Will’s Gift Shop.
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
Please visit kyshakespeare.com for more information and schedules.
The 2025 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park:
Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Matt Wallace
May 28-June 15; July 16, 19, 22, 25 (no performances on Mondays or Tuesdays in June)
The 65th season kicks off with one of the greatest romantic comedies ever written. It’s a battle of wits, and love is in the air, as mischievous games, pranks, and plots abound in this irresistible comedy.
Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Amy Attaway
June 19-29; July 15, 18, 23, 26 (no performances on Mondays or Tuesdays in June)
Shakespeare’s unparalleled masterpiece is a haunting tale of corruption, betrayal, and revenge. Follow Hamlet through an electrifying and unforgettable journey into the human soul.
Cymbeline
By William Shakespeare; adapted by Gregory Maupin
Directed by Matt Wallace
July 3, 5, 6, 8-13; July 17, 20, 24, 27
Shakespeare’s inventive fairy tale of love, loss, and legacy… An evil stepmother, long-lost princes, a banished lover, dastardly villains, and a lion-hearted princess on a quest to Happily Ever After.
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players
Twelfth Night
Directed by Kyle Ware
July 30-August 3
Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players professional training program takes the stage, presenting Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, directed by Director of Education Kyle Ware. The cast is comprised of students from multiple area high schools and the production is the culmination of a five-week training program.
Louisville Ballet
Shakespeare in Dance: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
August 6-10
The final week of the summer season, Louisville Ballet returns for a ninth season to present an original dance piece from choreographer Roger Creel, inspired by Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy.
Louisville Improvisors
Late Night Shakes
Improvised Shakespeare
10:30PM June 14, June 28, and July 12
The Louisville Improvisors return for a tenth season with Late Night Shakes on select Saturdays, bringing late night improvised Shakespeare plays created from audience suggestions.
ASL interpretation will be provided for the following performances: Thursday, June 5 for Much Ado About Nothing, Thursday, June 26 for Hamlet, Thursday, July 10 for Cymbeline, and Thursday, July 31 for the Globe Players Twelfth Night. (If show canceled due to inclement weather, the makeup rain date will be the following evening – Friday.)
DESIGNERS
Eric Allgeier (Scenic Designer)
Casey Clark (Lighting Designer)
Laura Ellis (Sound Designer)
Donna Lawrence-Downs (Costume Designer)
Sam Powers (Properties)
Tyler Tate (Choreographer, Much Ado About Nothing)
Eric Frantz (Fight Choreographer, Hamlet)
Hannah Pruitt (Intimacy Director)
Gregory Maupin (Dramaturg/Editor)
Wayne Krigger (Composer/Cellist – Cymbeline)
2025 ACTING COMPANY
Mary Baunjoko
Zachary Burrell
Sasha Cifuentes
Hallie Dizdarevic
Kate Drury
Logan Edwards
Brian Hinds
Jon Huffman
Justin Jackson
Mylon Joseph
Tom Luce
Abigail Bailey Maupin
Gregory Maupin
Braden McCampbell
Mollie Murk
Jennifer Pennington
Neill Robertson
Tai Rosenblatt
Kyle Ware
Crystian Wiltshire
Season sponsors include Fund for the Arts, Brown-Forman, Republic Bank, the Kentucky Arts Council, and Louisville Metro.
Kentucky Shakespeare will again partner with The Audience Group, your connection to the arts and entertainment scene in Louisville, providing their free Audience program guide for audience members throughout the summer.
ABOUT KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE
Designated the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth by the Kentucky legislature, Kentucky Shakespeare is a professional theatre company and not-for-profit charitable organization.
Grounded in the works of Shakespeare, our mission is to enrich communities through accessible, inclusive, professional theatre experiences that educate, inspire, and entertain diverse audiences. Our vision is to use Shakespeare’s truths and the power of the arts to transform lives. Shakespeare belongs to everyone.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director, cast, creative team, or to learn more about the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, please contact 574-9900 or info@kyshakespeare.com.
kyshakespeare.com