It’s spooky season and our theater partners across the United States are offering lots of fun—and sometimes a little scary!—productions for audiences to enjoy. Check out what’s playing this month. What do you hope to see?
At the Folger
On our historic stage, Folger Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet is playing through November 10. Director Raymond O. Caldwell’s bold contemporary take on Shakespeare’s timeless tale of star-crossed love portrays the Capulets and Montagues as political rivals in a metaverse version of Washington, DC. Our Mixology series returns on Friday, October 25, at 6pm, with How Alchemy Gave Us Alcohol with signature cocktails and fun trivia; the next morning, Saturday, October 26, our younger visitors, ages 5–7 at 11:30am and ages 8–14 at 1pm, are invited to join Folger Education for a Family Workshop, Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare, costumes welcomed. On Friday, November 1, at 7pm, Folger Institute Artist Fellow Alexander D’Agostino performs Tarot, Magic, and the Fairy King in our Reading Room, followed by “Is the day so young?”: Gen Z Finds a Seat at the Table on Saturday, November 2, at 6pm.
Last call from around the country
It’s closing weekend for Dear Jack, Dear Louise by Ken Ludwig at Alabama Shakespeare Festival; Julius Caesar at Shakespeare Dallas; Coriolanus at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express at The Old Globe. All close this Sunday, October 13.
Atlanta Shakespeare Company
A unique action-horror reimagining of Bram Stoker’s work, produced in collaboration with Havoc Movement, Dracula: The Failings of Men once again descends upon the halls of The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Performances run through November 3.
Come see the greatest vampire hunt of all time, led by Dr. Ada Van Helsing and Dr. Jack Seward. When a deserted ship crashes on the shore of London, strange things begin to happen. Men go mad and women sleepwalk straight into the arms of death in the flesh.
Written by Benedetto Robinson, this adaptation lets Stoker’s original prose shine, along with fast-paced fights, aerial dance, and larger than life blood effects.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Pericles comes to Chicago—the first time in 30 years and the start of a new partnership between the RSC and CST—direct from a run in the Swan Theatre at the company’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon. When Prince Pericles solves a riddle set by a neighboring King, he knows the answer could get him killed. Fleeing for safety, he finds himself swept away on an epic voyage that will see him battle princes, marry his true love, and become a father. But this is also a journey of storms and shipwrecks, abduction, and devastating loss. Adrift in an ocean of grief, will Pericles ever see his family again? On stage October 20–December 7.
Chicago Shakespeare is also again participating in Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. In partnership with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), CST presents two productions:
From Brazil, Azira’i is a biographical play examining Zahy Tentehar’s relationship with her mother, the first female Shaman from the Cana Brava reserve, which takes place in a necessarily conflicting context, in an extremely patriarchal northeastern interior and in a culture torn between preserving its ancestral values and absorbing the dynamics and ills of a globalized civilization system. Running October 24–27.
From Chile, La Memoria de los Sésiles takes place in a not-too-distant future where all the trees have been cut down by an uncontrolled real estate expansion. Sacha, an old hermit will embark on a journey deep underground in the face of the inevitable destruction of his home. Accompanied by Tujo, a rebellious young environmentalist, they will go in search of the last living roots to, through their memories, the path that will allow them to make the forest emerge again. Running October 31–November 3.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
It’s Alive! Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is ready for the spooky season with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by David Catlin, running from October 11 – November 2. Produced in partnership with Merrimack Repertory Theatre, this new spin on the gothic tale from the mother of science fiction promises to be a spine-tingling encounter with one of literature’s most iconic monsters.
The Curtain
This Halloween season experience Shakespeare’s classic tale of witchcraft, madness, and ruthless ambition like never before in an intimate and haunting candlelight environment.
First premiering in 1606, Macbeth tells the harrowing and timeless story of one couple’s cold-blooded quest for power—and its devastating aftermath.
This diverse and star-studded production features renowned Royal Shakespeare Company actor, and Harry Potter alum, Jamie Ballard as Macbeth in his American stage debut, and Aria Shahghasemi, star of CW’s Legacies and Broadway’s Prayer for the French Republic as Macduff.
On stage through November 3.
The Old Globe
Celebrate Halloween with a new side-splitting adventure based on Bram Stoker’s classic tale that’s sure to induce blood-curdling screams—of laughter! Don’t miss Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen and directed by Greenberg, now extended for a third week due to popular demand through November 3.
Enjoy the distinctive and colorful traditions of Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Celebration on Sunday, October 27 from 11am–1:30pm on the outdoor Copley Plaza. A festive opportunity to learn the history behind this holiday, featuring live music performances, arts and crafts for the kids, a puppet show, and more! This event is free and open for all ages.
Día de los Muertos AXIS Event, 2023. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
Seattle Shakespeare Company
Intent on intellectual study for himself and his companions, King Navarre proclaims three years of all work and no play – including no romance. On cue, a princess and her ladies arrive at court on a diplomatic mission, and the men can’t help falling head over heels. Will they decide to break their oaths to pursue love? (Spoiler: Yes.) And if they do, just how ridiculous can things get? Filled with bawdy wit, Love’s Labor’s Lost, directed by Janet Hayatshahi, playfully provokes thought on love, gender, and the games people play. On stage October 30–November 17.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
Macbeth comes to life on the main stage of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in a production directed by Brian B. Crowe.
Performances run from October 16 through November 17.
Spurred on by supernatural solicitings, a noble general and his wife embark on a bloody journey to gain the crown. Their ruthless quest for power rocks a war-torn nation as ambition grows to devastating madness in this epic tragedy which has not been presented as part of STNJ’s season in two decades.
Experience this striking tale of ambition, power, and madness on the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre stage.
Theatricum
The 2024 Summer Repertory Season continues with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, alongside The Winter’s Tale, Wendy’s Peter Pan, Tartuffe: Born Again, and The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote, running through October 20. Located in Topanga Canyon in the shade of the California Live Oaks, theatergoers can explore and picnic in the gardens before the show.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Curtain, Folger Theatre, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Dallas, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and Theatricum are members of the Folger’s Theater Partnership Program.
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