colorado shakespeare festival

The only draw back to this Festival is the lack of signage on campus to get you to the Mary Rippon Theater. We saw Merry Wives of Windsor set in the 60s and it was great.

We had a wonderful date night at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival on Boulder Campus this summer. Bonus, we ran into my wife's sister & her husband. CSF supplies comfy chairs and has cold beverages for sale. Service is oddly very SLOW. Aside from that, great experience. The actors were top notch and we had a wonderful evening. Bonus: strolling around campus, avoiding sprinklers @ night.

The atmosphere at this outdoor theater is magical. Order a Bard's Ale at the concession stand and enjoy!

It is really a pleasant time, sitting under the stars in the cool Colorado air hearing Shakespeare's words. The outdoor venue is perfect. Is it the most inspired Shakespeare production you can find? No, but the actors are very competent and the direction is inoffensive and easy to follow. All in all I had a nice time. Good for families and Shakespeare newbies.

Excellent performances with some very clever production design. The indoor theater is OK, but nothing to brag about. The outdoor theater is a much nicer venue as long as the weather is pleasant.

We go annually to see at least one of the CO Shakespeare Festival productions and this year it was I Hate Hamlet. The indoor productions are quite different from the outdoor ones. Their always wonderful! Outdoors, they provide comfortable seats to put on the stone benches, they always play through inclement weather so be prepared if it might rain.

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's "Henry 4, Part 1," performed in the indooor theater, is a terrific production. While this play is historical drama, it focuses on relationships: Prince Hal interacting with his tavern cronies and Falstaff; Hotspur as the charismatic leader of the rebels; and King Henry himself, who must confront the rebels as well as his wayward son. All these parts are excellently acted. Benjamin Bonenfant plays an engaging, fun-loving Hal who can be serious when the situation demands it, while Geoffrey Kent uses his vocal range to create a spirited, testy Hotspur. Michael Winters plays a witty, wily Falstaff, very different from the seedy, lecherous character he conveys as Falstaff in "Merry Wives of Windsor." As the aging King Henry, Sam Gregory conveys considerable anguish. A wooden balcony and stairs make a versatile set, serving as the Boar's head tavern, the king's palace, the rebels' meeting place (including Mortimer's castle in Wales!), and finally the battlefield. The pace is lively, and everything builds to the final show-down between Hal and Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury where the fight scenes are excellently choreographed. If the production hasn't sold out in its last week, be sure to buy a ticket!

Thank you so much, we love having fun :-)

While on the Banjo Billy's Boulder tour, our guide mentioned the CSF and what a great venue the outdoor theater was for seeing a play. Wow! Unexpected Shakespeare! We called the box office immediately and got great seats for the Tempest. The outdoor venue is prefect for this "fantasy-based" play of magic spells, flying fairies and monsters. While the plot is not as clever as some of the better known comedies, the acting and the staging of the Tempest was first rate. A great evening's entertainment on a mid-summer's night ...

The ampitheatre is so well arranged that there's not a bad seat in the "house". The stage, lights, costumes, scenery, etc. as well as the acting was incredible. We're going back next year!

Saw Merry Wives of Windsor during our first time at the Shakespeare Festival with friends who have been coming for years. Totally surprised by this presentation in 1960s style, with modification of dialogue, music, scenery and costume. Was a hoot, once you got into what you were seeing. All of us enjoyed it! Backrest seats provided, listening assistance available, but had a hard time getting it, so plan ahead, it really helped these two hard of hearing adults to enjoy the play. Microphones worn by the players, the sound from which is sent directly to the wireless headsets. Had a beautiful night after an afternoon that looked like it would rain at night, so it was great, but rain would spoil this outdoor adventure. Some premium seats are quite expensive, but the amphitheater is not that large, so I imagine most seats are acceptable.

We try to get to CSF every summer - seem to get rained out a lot, but not this year. The performance of "Merry Wives of Windsor", set in the 1950's, was fantastic - more interesting and witty with a few references to that period thrown in. Even my almost-teen daughter and her friend enjoyed it (let's just say they had to be won over, but they were!). It was a beautiful night with just a bit of wind - truly what a memorable summer night in Boulder is all about! For parents who are interested in bringing kids - I wouldn't bring kiddos younger than 9 or so to these performances (folks do, but I don't know what the kids really get out of it, and sometimes the content is pretty adult). Inquire w/ the box office if the material (and the setting of it) will have content suitable for kids- they have shot guns (with blanks) and things (that could be startling or worrisome to young ones) in other years.

A great evening under cloudy skies. Sets were splendid and sound system was especially effective and unobtrusive. Thankful for the fold up seats to save my back, only wish this had been mentioned anywhere on line as I hauled some in for our party, needlessly it turns out. A few other words to visitors:Signage is horrible. Wandered trying to find hidden box office and then shocked at how hard it was to even find the large venue! This is theater designed for CU folks who know the campus with little regard for tourists or towns folk. Easily remedied if anyone cared.Sat up towards front in excellent seats but I suspect entire venue is pretty good. A bit more expensive ($50/seat) than I would have expected.

We love sitting uder the stars on a balmy summer night watching the plays. it doesn't get much better than that!

A terrific group of actors perform traditional and non-traditional Shakespearean plans in the Mary Rippon outdoor theater and indoors at the University Theater. Well worth the price of admission!