Shakespeare Alive!

The mission of the Shakespeare Alive! educational outreach program is to promote active engagement with the works of William Shakespeare. By doing so, we hope to nurture respect for the power of language, encourage the examination of complex ideas, fire imaginations, and deepen understanding and tolerance for the richness of human experience.

Bard on the Air

Listen to the Illinois Shakespeare Festival's outreach program Bard on the Air. Each show provides entertainment based on Shakespeare's work in a fun, accessible format. The program is partially funded through a Mirza Arts Grant from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.

Schools and Community Centers Tour

The Shakespearean Globetrotters featuring the award-winning Improv Mafia will perform in Time to Make the Shakespeare on Fridays this Spring – a side-splitting improv show that is fun for the whole family - caution, drinking beverages during the performance may cause nasal irritation!

For more information and to book a show, please contact
Dick Folse at (309) 438-8697

Past Shows

To Thine Own Self Be True was a production of the Cultural Expressions Project. The project presented socially and youth-relevant stories intermixed with Shakespearean scenes and monologues. The production was seen by more than a two thousand youth in 2010 and 2011.

Watch the Cultural Expressions Tour video!

Theatre for Young Audiences Production

The Festival's Theatre for Young Audiences Productions are 45 minutes of family-friendly entertainment performed Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 am on the Ewing Manor grounds. Admission is FREE but we require a reservation. Please call the ticket office at (309) 438-2535 to make a reservation today!

See the performance schedule.

Supporting Shakespeare Alive!

For more information on how you can support the Shakespeare Alive! educational outreach program, please contact Dick Folse at 309-438-8697.