| THE 26th ANNUAL RICHMOND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP: CYRANO DE BERGERAC AND A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM AT AGECROFT HALL Richmond Shakespeare is thrilled to announce the 26th Annual Richmond Shakespeare Festival, featuring Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand and William Shakespeare’s beloved A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Festival will run from May 22 through July 20, 2025, Thursday through Sunday evenings at 7:30p, in the breathtaking outdoor setting of Agecroft Hall, 4305 Sulgrave Road, Richmond, VA 23221. “This season offers two wildly different but equally magical experiences,” says Artistic Director James Ricks. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream was my first experience with Shakespeare as a child. I remember almost every detail about that production. Needless to say, my parents were amazed at the impression it left. It’s my hope that our production will have the same effect on our audiences, new or experienced.” “Cyrano de Bergerac is action-packed with swordplay, secret crushes, razor-sharp wit, and one large, seriously conflicted nose,” says director Andrew Gall. “It’s funny and full of feeling. If you’ve ever felt a whole lot and said too little, overthought a text, or said the right thing too late—you’ll get it. Come for the swashbuckling. Stay for the soul.” “The Richmond Shakespeare Festival is a true RVA tradition,” says Managing Director Jase Sullivan. “We return once again to the magical courtyard at Agecroft Hall to create unforgettable summer evenings filled with live theatre under the stars. Come early, enjoy the gardens, and picnic on the lawn before the show. Then enjoy beverage and dessert vendors while marveling at some of Richmond’s finest professional actors.” Tickets for the 26th Annual Richmond Shakespeare Festival are on sale now: TICKETS |
| Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand May 22 – June 8, 2025 Agecroft Hall, 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond, VA 23221 Cyrano de Bergerac is a fearless soldier. A loyal braggadocio. And a man furiously self-conscious about his very protuberant nose. He’s also a man in love with a woman (Roxanne) who’s in love with someone else (Christian), and promised in marriage to yet another (De Guiche). When Christian is assigned to Cyrano’s platoon, Roxanne begs him to protect her love, which Cyrano reluctantly agrees to do. And when Christian in turn begs Cyrano to help him woo Roxanne, a plot unfurls that begs the question: does love truly lie in the eyes or in the soul? Embark on this glorious romance, swept through with beauty, wit and heart-stopping action. All this, supplied with panache by our iconic Cyrano – a gallant who lives life full-tilt, parrying foes with both swordplay and wordplay. Leading every charge with a glint in his eye, a soul full of poetry and a world of longing in his expansive heart. Just one thing stands in the way of his happiness. If he can see his way free of it, he may just carry the day. A night of theater this perfect is something to be celebrated; a breathtaking love letter addressed to us all. Audio description performance in partnership with Virginia Voice on June 1. TICKETS |
| A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare June 19 – July 20, 2025 Agecroft Hall, 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond, VA 23221 Probably written between 1594 and 1596, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. It is set across two worlds – the court of Athens and a mystical forest that lies beyond the city’s walls. The play is a comedy and explores themes of the irrationality of love, desire, friendship, possession, jealousy, and magic. On Midsummer’s Night, the real and fairy worlds collide. Four young lovers, faced with the prospect of unhappy marriage or worse, flee the court of Athens and stumble into an enchanted forest. Nearby, a group of amateur actors rehearse a play to celebrate an upcoming royal wedding. As these mere mortals cross paths with a warring fairy King and Queen, chaos reigns in the natural world. The lines between reality and illusion start to blur and no-one but mischievous Puck knows what is true and what is magic. Audio description performance in partnership with Virginia Voice on July 6. |