Great River Shakespeare Festival

44°03′08″N 91°37′58″W / 44.05219305278904°N 91.63287993053457°W / 44.05219305278904; -91.63287993053457

The Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF) is a professional equity theatre company in Winona, Minnesota, a Mississippi River town in the southeastern part of the state. Starting in 2004, it has produced several simultaneous performances each summer, held at the Winona State University DuFresne Performing Arts Center, with annual audiences of over 10,000. Its 2024 season runs from June 27 to July 28.^[1]

GRSF has been described as "a cornerstone of Winona’s reputation as an unmatched destination for cultural events".^[2] The festival features many artistic, musical, and other events, such as an annual sonnet contest with entries from around the world. Additionally, Company Conversations, weekly talkbacks with company members, are hosted Sundays at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in downtown Winona.

GRSF also offers educational opportunities, especially for youth, including an apprentice/intern production. Youth classes are offered for grades 7-12, titled Shakespeare for Young Actors (SYA), Shakespeare for Young Designers (SYD), and Shakespeare for Young Filmmakers (SYF).

Near the end of every season, GRSF company members produce a one-night performance known as Callithump, "a ridiculously fun, boisterous and wildly entertaining"^[3] fundraiser and variety show. Typical acts include singing, skits, and more. Additionally, the event hosts an auction where costume and set pieces are commonly auctioned off. Company members who participate in this show are colloquially known as "Thumpians". Before the show, pre-Callithump is held outside the Performing Arts Center; this often includes a dunk tank and other carnival-esque attractions.

• 2004 (debut year): The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream
• 2005: Richard III and Much Ado About Nothing
• 2006: Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night
• 2007: Macbeth and As You Like It
• 2008: The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew
• 2009: The Tempest and Love's Labours Lost
• 2010: The Comedy of Errors, Othello, and The Daly News
• 2011: Henry IV, Part One, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Fantasticks
• 2012: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
• 2013: Twelfth Night, or What You Will, and King Henry V
• 2014: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
• 2015: Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Glass Menagerie
• 2016: As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and Georama
• 2017: The Comedy of Errors, Richard III, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont by Donald Marguiles, and An Iliad
• 2018: All's Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare in Love, and Venus in Fur
• 2019: Macbeth, Cymbeline, The Servant of Two Masters adapted by Beth Gardiner, No Child... by Nilaja Sun, and White Rabbit, Red Rabbit
• 2021: The Tempest, Great Expectations adapted by Gale Childs Daly, and Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe.
• 2022: Twelfth Night, The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown, Always... Patsy Cline, and All the Town's a Stage: A Winona Story
• 2023: As You Like It, the world premiere of Imbroglio by Melissa Maxwell, and The Winter's Tale
• 2024: Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing

The following Shakespeare shows have yet to be produced mainstage by the Great River Shakespeare Festival:

• Coriolanus
• Henry VI
• King John
• Pericles
• Titus Andronicus
• Troilus and Cressida

• 2004: As You Like It
• 2005: Twelfth Night
• 2006: Cymbeline
• 2007: Julius Caesar
• 2008: Pericles
• 2009: Hamlet
• 2010: Titus Andronicus
• 2011: King Lear
• 2012: All's Well that Ends Well
• 2013: Macbeth
• 2014: Troilus and Cressida
• 2015: King John
• 2016: Coriolanus
• 2017: Henry VI
• 2018: The Merchant of Venice
• 2019: Love's Labour's Lost.
• 2021: Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare for Young Actors, abbreviated as SYA, is a two-week workshop for students in grades 7-12. The program aims to teach students skills used in the professional acting industry, particularly in the understanding, analysis, and interpretation of Shakespearean texts (see scansion).^[4]

This program began in 2010, and has performed the following shows:

• 2010: Henry V
• 2011: The Winter's Tale
• 2012: As You Like It
• 2013: Romeo & Juliet
• 2014: The Tempest
• 2015: Macbeth
• 2016: The Comedy of Errors
• 2017: Hamlet*
• 2018: Twelfth Night*
• 2019: Henry V*. Additionally, the festival hosted a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona done by the visiting group Shakespearean Youth Theatre.
• 2020: Shakespeare Everywhere (digital showcase)*
• 2021: As You Like It*
• 2022: A Midsummer Night's Dream*
• 2023: Richard III*
• 2024: King Lear*

*Included designs by Shakespeare for Young Designers

• 2018: Cassandra
• 2021: Bearly Beloved
• 2022: Quack

Due to the recent Coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled. Many events took place online via Zoom, including Shakespeare for Young Actors & Designers' presentation Shakespeare Everywhere. These online events are sometimes referred to as "season 16½". Additionally, this postponement/cancellation caused a shift in the naming of each season; before the pandemic, seasons were referred to by number (ex. season 15 of GRSF), and are now named after the year in which the season takes place (ex. the 2024 season of GRSF).

The shows slated for 2020 were instead performed in the 2021 season. This season took place almost entirely outdoors; this decision was made in January of 2021, before the restrictions around indoor gatherings were eased.^[5] The festival's performances took place in Levee Park, a public park next to the Mississippi river, on a stage built specifically for the season. Several performances were cancelled due to weather concerns (including air quality problems due to smoke from eastern wildfires).

• Great River Shakespeare Festival website
• Facebook page
• Instagram page