Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival Announces Dates and Casting for Summer Season

After canceling the 2020 season in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival is back with two live in-person productions in its open-air tent at Boscobel House and Gardens.

Audience seating will be spaced, with all attendees and staff wearing face coverings. A negative Covid test or proof of vaccination will be required to attend. Additionally, the company will produce one audio play to be enjoyed by at-home fans.

That audio production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth will be made available to stream here from June 7-20. Listening is free, but a suggested donation of $10 will go to support Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's education programs. Directed and adapted for young audiences by Raz Golden, Shakespeare's tragedy of ambition on the Scottish moors will feature voice performances by Biko Eisen-Martin, Luis Quintero, Antoinette Robinson, Matthew Saldivar, Thom Sesma, Julyana Soelistyo, and Amelia Worman.

The live season kicks off with The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, written by James Ijames and directed by Taylor Reynolds. Set on Christmas Eve 1800, the play follows Martha Washington and the enslaved people of Mount Vernon as they wait for Martha to die of a severe fever, thereby freeing them as stipulated in her late husband's will. The cast includes Tyler Fauntleroy, Cyndii Johnson, Ralph Adriel Johnson, Claudia Logan, Britney Simpson, Brandon St. Clair, and Nance Williamson. Performances begin on June 24 with an opening set for June 26. It will run through June 30.

The season continues with a new production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, directed by Ryan Quinn. Telling the story of Duke Prospero of Milan in exile on a magical island, The Tempest will feature performances by Caturah Brown, Kayla Coleman, Jonathan Contreras, Zack Fine, Tyler Fountleroy, Trevor Latez Hayes, Ralph Adriel Johnson, Claudia Logan, Sean McNall, Jason O'Connell, Howard Overshown, Kurt Rhoads, India Shea, Britney Simpson, and Nance Williamson. Performances begin on August 5 with an opening set for Saturday, August 7. It will run through September 4.

The 2021 season will be the final summer Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival spends at Boscobel House and Gardens before moving to its new home in Philipstown.