2026 season
June 24 – July 26
a midsummer night’s dream
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
Welcome to The ARC (arcwinona.org)—and to the midsummer magic that has always lived here. To celebrate our glorious new home, GRSF fills this 1909 jewel of a theater with ragtime rhythms, art deco flair, and the splendor of its breathtaking historic drops, conjuring a world where love, laughter, and a little chaos reign supreme. A ragtag band of working stiffs rehearses a play for their neighbors. Four besotted lovers tumble headlong into an enchanted forest. And somewhere in the fairy realm, things have gone wonderfully, gloriously wrong. Bold, physical, and irresistibly fun for all ages, this Midsummer is a homecoming and a celebration—proof that theater has always been, and always will be, the place where community comes alive.
Directed by Doug Scholz-Carlson, (Comedy of Errors, Hamlet, Minnesota Opera’s Cosi fan Tutte, Metropolitan Opera), Midsummer features festival favorites Michael Fitzpatrick (Every Brilliant Thing, King Lear, Denver Center, Geva Theater) as Puck, and Will Sturdivant (Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Guthrie Theater’s Henriad [History Cycle] and Lehman Trilogy, Milwaukee Rep) and Tarah Flanagan (Hamlet, An Iliad, Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Much Ado About Nothing) alternating as Bottom and Peter Quince. Come twice to see both versions.
Directed by Doug Scholz-Carlson
Scenic Design by Karl Gfall
Costume Design by John Merritt
Lighting Design by Avery Reagan
Sound Design by Matthew Tibbs
Properties Design by Karl Gfall
NOTE: Theatrical haze (water-soluble) may be used during this performance. Fidget-friendly performances will NOT use haze.
pericles: Prince of tyre
“do not assist the storm”
GRSF brings Shakespeare's great lost adventure to the professional company for the first time. Pericles is a prince tested by every force the world can muster— treacherous kings, shipwrecks, pirates, grief, and years of wandering exile. And yet he endures. Guided by faithful friends and the stubborn pull of love, he crosses stormy seas in search of a family he fears is gone forever. Epic, tender, and deeply human, Pericles is Shakespeare's testament to resilience—the reminder that no storm lasts forever, and that what we have lost may yet find its way home. Don't miss this rare and sweeping voyage.
Directed by Shaun Patrick Tubbs. Great River Shakespeare Festival welcomes director Shaun Patrick Tubbs to the company for our first production of Pericles. Shaun has directed Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Powerhouse Theater in Arlington, New York, and Troilus & Cressida at The Juilliard School in New York, New York.
Directed by Shaun Patrick Tubbs
Scenic Design by Karl Gfall
Costume Design by John Merritt
Lighting Design by Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz
Sound Design by Matthew Tibbs
Properties Design by Karl Gfall
NOTE: Theatrical haze (water-soluble) may be used during this performance. Fidget-friendly performances will NOT use haze.
Photo by Sydney Swanson.
Don’t miss this audience favorite, one of the hottest tickets in town! Callithump is a ridiculously fun, boisterous, and wildly entertaining fundraising show re-envisioned annually and produced by our company members. Tickets go fast, so buy early! The fun starts at 5 p.m. with games and music outside the theater. The show begins at 7 p.m.