CEDAR CITY -- The Utah Shakespeare Festival is ready to begin its 50th anniversary season later this week, and there are many reasons why the festival has survived this long after that first season so many years ago when only around 3,000 people visited. One of the main reasons that the festival was able to survive those first years is the location.

Located in Cedar City, the festival is conveniently situated between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Only a couple of hours of driving meant that people could make a quick trip to the festival rather than taking extended vacations to travel. Also popular among visitors is the fact that Cedar City is located within driving distance of seven national parks, numerous national and state monuments and other recreation areas. This meant that guests could visit the festival in the evenings after spending the day experiencing Utah’s natural beauty.

Another main reason that the festival has continued to thrive and has grown into one of the largest Shakespearean festivals in North America is the willingness of the festival to adapt and evolve over time. For the first several years of the festival, the only plays that were produced were written by Shakespeare himself. Popular works such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet” and “Macbeth” accompanied works that casual fans of Shakespeare might not recognize (such as the tragedy “Troilus and Cressida”), giving the audience different options, depending upon their own likes or style of theater that they wished to see.

In the late 1980s, and with the festival experiencing continued growth, the decision was made to build a second theater complex and use it to “showcase classics of world drama.” The Randall L. Jones Theatre has shown productions from more than three centuries of playwrights, in addition to Shakespeare. Among these plays are classics from France, England, Italy and the United States. This decision allowed the festival to bring in new audiences that may not have been interested in Shakespearean plays but were still fans of theater while simultaneously keeping the original fans of the festival coming as well.

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History of the Utah Shakespeare Festival

Over the past 50 years the Utah Shakespeare Festival has grown into one of the oldest and largest Shakespearean festivals in North America.

As more plays continued to be written, the festival took an additional step in its evolution in 1992. The New American Playwrights Project (NAPP) was planned as the festival continued to grow and is a way for audiences to experience “the current works of some of today’s best playwrights.” In the coming years, a third state-of-the-art theater will be built at the festival, and it will be home to the NAPP productions, including “fully mounted, modern plays by the Shakespeares of tomorrow.”

The foresight and innovation of founder Fred C. Adams and his wife, Barbara, can’t be overstated as yet another reason why the festival has continued to not only survive over the years but grow larger and more popular. When the festival began, Barbara Adams was adamant that the festival include a nightly greenshow of pre-show entertainment.

In the early years of the greenshow, music, dancing and even a puppet show were common features. Because not everyone had heard of the festival, the musicians even went into downtown Cedar City in the afternoons, wandering into shops to play their music and invite people to attend the festival. Barbara Adams was instrumental in improving and growing the greenshow, which is still a major part of the festival today.

The current staff continues to make the festival the most enjoyable experience that it can be for the audience. The options at the festival extend far beyond the plays that an audience can choose from. Visitors can choose to attend a festival orientation, which helps introduce the festival and its mission to new audiences as well as repeat visitors. Literary seminars allow audience members to discuss the plays with other fans and get different perspectives and are a popular feature for more-experienced theatergoers.

The festival also provides visitors the option of taking a 90-minute backstage tour to see how the plays are produced behind the scenes that most audiences never get to see. A day-care center for children under 6 has also been established, allowing people to relax and enjoy the show without worry.

Audiences realize how much the festival values its guests, and that has helped the popularity grow. “This is all part of our commitment to our patrons,” said R. Scott Phillips, executive director of the festival. “As we have been examining the past 50 years (and the next 50), we wanted to make the patron experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, from purchasing tickets to learning about our plays to finding our theaters. We are definitely looking forward to an exceptional 50th anniversary.”

Landon Walters is a history and political science major currently studying at Salt Lake Community College and is an avid sports fan. He can be reached at mavericksoccer_22@hotmail.com.

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