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Interlochen Shakespeare Festival
Professional theatre under the pines
The Interlochen Shakespeare Festival engages northwest Michigan audiences through professional theatre that celebrates the Shakespearean imagination.
Since its founding in 2008, the Interlochen Shakespeare Festival has presented more than 15 classical and contemporary plays and earned several Wilde Awards from Encore Michigan.
On stage this summer: The Comedy of Errors
June 28-29 and July 5-6
Upton-Morley Pavilion
Set in the height of the swing dance era, a mistaken identity upends an attempted reunion of twin brothers. An outrageous procession of mishaps and shenanigans takes place in this farcical play full of slapstick comedy, clever puns, and witty wordplay.
Our Artistic Director
Director of Theatre
A graduate of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, William Church has performed with theatre companies across the United States and is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. Church also serves as the Director of Theatre at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
“In the hands of Director William Church, the inherent darkness in the plot is overshadowed by utter delight in this masterful production that shows, yet again, where one must travel to find the best Shakespeare in the state.”—Encore Michigan
Meet Bill ChurchOur Venue
Interlochen Shakespeare Festival productions are staged at the Upton-Morley Pavilion, a 467-seat open-air venue nestled in a quiet corner of our campus. Under the starry summer skies, our audiences experience Shakespeare just as Elizabethan audiences would: surrounded by the majesty of nature.
"It’s not just the extraordinary script, direction, acting, and technical elements that make this Lear remarkable. As is always the case at the Interlochen Shakespeare Festival, it’s the way the production works with the natural outdoor setting to more fully bring this drama to life.”—Encore Michigan
Julius Caesar (2023)
Hamlet (2013)
Romeo and Juliet (2016)
Othello (2022)
The Tempest (2014)
King Lear (2017)
Shakespeare News at Interlochen
For this year’s Festival, Director of Theatre Bill Church wanted to do something a little different.
Interlochen alumni Sydney James Harcourt, Arezu Tavakoli, and Mishka Yarovoy earned top prizes for their roles in the Festival’s award-winning productions of “Othello” and “Sanctuary City.”
Students will perform a diverse selection of classic and contemporary works including Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ and ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.’