Much Ado About Nothing
"If it prove so, then loving goes by haps;
Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
St John’s College Gardens
(entrance via Queen's Road only)
This sharp and witty battle of the sexes, set in the stunning gardens of St John’s College, tells of the effervescent Beatrice – determined never to marry – and the confirmed bachelor, Benedick, and the efforts of their friends to bring them together in the most unlikely of unions. Will there be a happy ending, or will the dastardly Don John ruin all their plans? Don’t miss this scintillating production.
…breathtaking energy and talent... the CSF keep the comedy spinning like a top
Finished for 2023
Much Ado About Nothing has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!
Julius Caesar
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
Downing College Gardens
This Roman-costume production, in the formal setting of Downing College gardens, tracks the life-and-death struggle for power in ancient Rome. This electrifying political thriller is alive with assassination plots, conspiracy and bloody murder. Caesar's growing ambition threatens the Republic, so the knives are out. But when Caesar is killed, chaos engulfs the city. Alliances are formed and faked, leaders are made and sacrificed, and ghosts stalk. You’d better watch your back...
… an enthralling and passionate performance... an excellent production
Finished for 2023
Julius Caesar has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!
The Winter's Tale
"I am a feather for each wind that blows"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
King’s College Gardens
(entrance via Queen's Road only)
Leontes, King of Sicilia, is driven mad with irrational jealousy, convinced that his wife, Hermione, is having an affair with his childhood friend, Polixenes, and that the child she is bearing is not his own. Polixenes escapes to Bohemia, whilst Leontes orders that the child, a daughter, must be abandoned on a desert shore. Leontes assumes the child has perished – but sixteen years pass before the truth is uncovered. The beautiful setting of King’s College gardens provides the backdrop for Shakespeare’s masterful study of suspicion and obsession. Watch out for some comic twists and turns, too… and a bear!
...polished performances all round ...lively and inspired ...a production well worth seeing
Finished for 2023
The Winter's Tale has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
"I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
Trinity College Gardens
(entrance via Queen's Road only)
The beautiful gardens of Trinity College form the perfect setting for Shakespeare's delightful fairy-tale world of love, jealousy and youthful exuberance. This captivating production brings to life all the magic and humour of Shakespeare's best-loved play. Why not invite your children to come along dressed as fairies to add to what promises to be a spectacular evening!
... as hilarious as anything you would see at the RSC
Finished for 2023
A Midsummer Night’s Dream has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!
The Tempest
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on,
and our little life is rounded with a sleep"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
St John’s College Gardens
(entrance via Queen's Road only)
Magic, romance and a deserted island form the setting for Shakespeare’s final masterpiece – a balance between the desire for revenge and the demands of love captures the essence of the human condition with its compelling and timeless themes. Marooned with his daughter, Miranda, Prospero has perfected his magic. He learns that his old enemies are sailing near the island and raises a tempest which brings them within his grasp. Through an enchanted tale of humour, romance and adventure, The Tempest is ultimately a story of redemption and forgiveness.
...this was brilliant... a brilliant performance from a cast that cannot be faulted
Finished for 2023
The Tempest has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!
Romeo and Juliet
"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"
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Every evening (except Sunday) at 7.30pm
King’s College Gardens
(entrance via Queen's Road only)
The tragic courtship of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers is played out once more in the exquisite setting of King’s College Fellows’ Garden. Romeo and Juliet are caught between two worlds, as their families feud to the death. This spectacular and fast-paced production brings together the romance, passion and violence of the hot streets of Verona. Don’t leave Cambridge without seeing this dazzling production!
No knee-bending to trendy revisionism, but rather a tour de force of Elizabethan drama
Finished for 2023
Romeo and Juliet has now finished for 2023 - please join us for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in 2024!