Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival Returns

Richard II (Jen Scott Photography)

(PRESS RELEASE)_JUPITER, Fla. (April 13, 2022) The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, now in its thirty-second year of continuous annual productions, announces its full line-up of performances, beginning with the Company’s premiere of William Shakespeare’s RICHARD II during the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation co-production of Shakespeare by the Sea at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park, Jupiter.

The free, outdoor event runs July 7 – 10 and July 14 – 17. The performance will then tour to its second home during The Village of Royal Palm Beach-sponsored Shakespeare by the Palms in Commons Park on July 21 – 24. For both locations, gates open at 6:30 pm with performances starting at 8 pm. Admission is free with a suggested $5 per person donation.

“We are truly excited to bring this play to the public,” says Shakespeare Festival Associate Artist Trent Stephens. “RICHARD II features some of the richest language in Shakespeare’s canon. Throughout its fascinating production history, it has resonated with audiences in ways that speak to their times.”  King Richard was crowned at a very young age and throughout his reign, his poor leadership led to a loss of faith in the governance of the realm. “Over the course of the play, Richard is forced to watch his world change before his eyes. The deposition scene in the play was used during the Essex Rebellion of 1601, inciting rebellion which threatened the life of Queen Elizabeth I. As a result, they were forced to remove the scene entirely from the printed quartos,” explains Stephens. “The play’s electricity resurfaced again two years ago at the Public Theater in NYC during the Black Lives Matter Protests.  The play is about our need to keep power in check and to tell the past what our future is going to be.”

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​The Shakespeare Festival will extend its season in partnership with The Benjamin School, and produce the chillingly terrifying stage production of THE WOMAN IN BLACK on September 22 – 25, 2022 at the Benjamin Upper School Theater in Palm Beach Gardens.

The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival and Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation’s Shakespeare by the Sea XXXII production of RICHARD II runs July 7 – 10 and 14 – 17 at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park, Jupiter located at 750 South S.R. A1A Jupiter, FL 33477.

The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival and The Village of Royal Palm Beach present the Shakespeare by the Sea Palms II production of William Shakespeare’s RICHARD II July 21 – 24 at 8 pm. Commons Park Amphitheater, located at 11600 Poinciana Blvd.  in Royal Palm Beach. 

All performances of RICHARD II start at 8 pm. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5 per adult. Visitors are invited to bring a beach chair, blanket and picnic basket or enjoy food trucks on site. Visit www.pbshakespeare.org for more information. Sponsorship opportunities for the entire season or individual productions are available. Please email [email protected] to find out more.

 Shakespeare by the Sea XXXII, in partnership with Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation is supported by a grant from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Publix Supermarket Charities, The Board of County Commissioners through the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, with generous donations from an Anonymous Donor, and Lisa Calberg and Frank Cona. In-kind sponsorships are courtesty Atlantic T’s, The Benjamin School and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Shakespeare by the Palms II is generously sponsored by The Village of Royal Palm Beach.