Shakespeare at Hartford Stage
Shakespeare’s back at Hartford Stage!
The Winter’s Tale
April 13 – May 27, 2023
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Melia Bensussen
An awe-filled fable of fury and forgiveness.
King Leontes, his pregnant wife Hermione, and their young son seem like a perfect royal family — until he’s consumed by the fear his wife has been unfaithful. In a fit of tyrannical rage, he makes dire accusations that destroy all that is precious to him. Sixteen years later a new generation has emerged, and in this time-hopping romance, the idealism of the young and the regrets of the old collide. Shakespeare’s mastery of storytelling is on full display, reminding us that even after a harsh winter, spring will return, if we have faith in each other and ourselves.
Shakespeare in Past Seasons
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Henry V
2018-19 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Elizabeth Williamson
In Shakespeare’s Henry V, shortly after gaining the throne, Henry must decide whether or not to embark on a war that could solidify his reign—or bring his country to its knees. In France, he grows up fast under the pressure to use all means necessary to win a war against tremendous odds. But even if he finds victory, how easy will it be to settle the peace?
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2017-18 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
Shakespeare’s beloved comedy captivates with the intertwined stories of six bumbling actors; four lovestruck teenagers; one royal wedding; and the infinite magical realm of the fairies.
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The Comedy of Errors
2016-17 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
22 actors. 2 pairs of twins. 1 crazy day. Shake the midwinter blues away with Shakespeare’s zaniest comedy, performed by a lively ensemble of actors, singers, dancers, musicians and acrobats. Opa!
Tresnjak sets The Comedy of Errors on a sun-kissed island off the coast of Greece in 1965. The production will feature both international songs from the era and exotic dance numbers. The Bard’s zaniest comedy, in which two sets of twins separated at birth find themselves in the same city on the same day, leads to a string of mistaken identities, over-the-top slapstick and false accusations.
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Romeo & Juliet
2015-16 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
Director Darko Tresnjak follows up his spectacular production of Hamlet with Shakespeare’s most popular play. The intense feud between the Montague and Capulet families devastates the city of Verona and foreshadows tragic consequences for young Romeo and Juliet. Revenge, passion and a secret marriage lead the world’s most famous star-crossed lovers to a harrowing end.
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Hamlet
2014-15 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
Following his critically-acclaimed productions of The Tempest, Twelfth Night and Macbeth, Darko Tresnjak takes on Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet. A Danish prince returns home to find his father killed, and his mother marrying the murderer. When his father’s ghost rises to demand retribution, Hamlet is put in an impossible situation. In this opulent, Elizabethan staging, Hamlet’s tragic tale of revenge gets the full-on, terrifying — and bloody — treatment.
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Macbeth
2013-14 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
Shakespeare’s swift and relentless tragedy uncovers the terrifying consequences of blind ambition. In medieval Scotland, a savage world of ghosts, witches and bloody battlefields, a dark prophecy leads a warrior and his wife past the point of no return.
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Twelfth Night
2012-13 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
The bard’s finest comedy is a paean to the restorative power of love. Viola, the shipwrecked heroine, lands on the shore of Illyria, and disguised as a page, Cesario, searches for her lost brother. Countess Olivia mourns the loss of her own brother. When the lovely Countess meets the handsome young page, desire banishes grief in this intoxicating comedy.
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The Tempest
2011-11 Season
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak
One storm rages on the sea. Another storm rages inside of a man. Will Prospero, the banished Duke of Milan, exact his revenge or forgive his foes? Shakespeare’s magnificent last play is a meditation on family, love, mercy, and—ultimately—the theatre itself.
With wonder, imagination and sheer theatricality, this powerful production will take you on a breathtaking journey filled with song, dance, masks and puppetry.
Shakespeare Production Chronology
- 1963-64: Othello
- 1964-65: The Tempest
- 1965-66: Twelfth Night
- 1971-72: Henry V
- 1980-81: Cymbeline
- 1981-82: Antony and Cleopatra
- 1983-84: As You Like It
- 1984-85: The Tempest
- 1985-86: Twelfth Night
- 1986-87: Pericles
- 1987-88: Hamlet
- 1988-89: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 1990-91: Julius Caesar
- 1991-92: All’s Well That Ends Well
- 1993-94: The Merchant of Venice
- 1994-95: Richard III
- 1995-96: Romeo & Juliet
- 1997-98: Cymbeline
- 1999-00: The Comedy of Errors
- 2000-01: Macbeth
- 2004-05: Othello
- 2008-09: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 2010-11: Antony & Cleopatra
- 2011-12: The Tempest
- 2012-13: Twelfth Night
- 2013-14: Macbeth
- 2014-15: Hamlet
- 2015-16: Romeo & Juliet
- 2016-17: The Comedy of Errors
- 2017-18: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 2018-19: Henry V