Santa Cruz Shakespeare announced its summer and fall festival lineup, featuring the company’s first summer musical in 32 years and a rotating repertory of four classic plays on the theme “No One is Alone.”
2025 summer and fall lineup
- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare, directed by Paul Mullins, opens on July 18. In the mystical forest of Arden, fleeing lovers and earnest workingmen stumble into the magic of a fairy kingdom at war with itself. Hijinks and heartbreak ensue.
- “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim and James Laine, directed by Jerry Lee, opens on July 19. The first summer musical produced by SCS in 32 years, Sondheim’s masterpiece sees another disparate group journeying into the forest, pursuing a wide range of desires, from a simple visit to grandmother’s house, a decent price for a cow or the magical ingredients to cure a curse of childlessness.
- “Pericles” by William Shakespeare and George Wilkins, directed by Charles Pasternak, opens on July 31. The first half of this rarely performed play follows Prince Pericles’ incredible journey through multiple kingdoms, wild adventures, desperate escapes, a magnificent love affair, a pair of storms at sea and a single shipwreck – and that’s just Part 1.
- “‘Master Harold’ … and the Boys” by Athol Fugard, directed by Rebecca Haley Clark, opens on Sept. 5. Set in the apartheid era of South Africa, Fugard’s autobiographical masterpiece is both joyous and brutal, with an ending that will leave viewers both stunned and inspired.
The final play will honor the legacy of playwright Fugard, who died in March.
“The four masterpieces we’re producing this season all examine the threads that tie us together,” said Pasternak, Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s artistic director. “In each of these plays, the world is torn apart – sometimes quite literally – but knitted anew by recognition. Recognition of ourselves in each other, in our need for each other. None of us is an island. We need each other – now more than ever – and through both laughter and heartbreak, this season looks to bring our incredible community closer together.”
The 2025 festival will also feature SCS’ Fringe Series, including two staged readings and two performances of its apprentice show. The Fringe Series will take place on Tuesdays in August at 7 p.m. Admission is pay what you will.
The seasonal box office opens for phone orders beginning May 1. Box office hours will be Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. To purchase tickets, call 831-460-6399. For more information, visit SCS’ website.
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