THE OFFICIAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
Monday, August 4
x
The Michigan Shakespeare Festival Announces Return for 2026
Detroit, MI - The Michigan Shakespeare Festival Board of Directors, with the addition of 4 new members, has voted unanimously to continue the mission of the MSF and produce in 2026 the Season that had been advertised for 2025.
Following the heartbreaking cancelation of this summer’s MainStage season due to a funding gap for production, the future of the Official Shakespeare Festival of the State of Michigan was in doubt. With ticket sales down – still not back to pre-Covid levels – donations down, corporate and business sponsorships lacking, and government funding for the Arts and Humanities cut, throwing granting organizations into chaos, the MSF felt the responsible choice at the time was to cancel the season.
The Board has developed a multiple-point recovery plan featuring new Board members, additional off-season events, the return of the MiSFITs (the MSF High School Tour), and increased energy towards business and foundational fundraising. The Board has pledged to raise at least half of their approved 2026 MainStage budget by January of 2026. The partnership with Wayne State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance whereby The MSF will be in residence at the Hilberry Gateway in Midtown, Detroit, is an integral part of the recovery plan.
A set of financial goal-posts have been put in place for the months between now and next summer with the goal being the production of the previously announced 2025 Season in 2026: Richard III (featuring Festival Favorite Rico Bruce Wade as Richard), Much Ado About Nothing (featuring Artistic Associate Robert Kauzlaric and his real-life wife MSF Dialect Specialist Elise Kauzlaric), and the world premiere adaptation by Robert Kauzlaric of George Farquhar’s The Beaux’ Stratagem: A Comedy of Bad Manners. The artists from the 2025 Season will be offered their positions back if they choose to return.
The first friendraising/fundraising event scheduled – Inside the Classical Actors Studio – is September 27th at 7:30 PM at the Hilberry Gateway. This unscripted event will feature some beloved company actors telling their stories and showing off some of their skills in an interview format – “I’m a huge fan of how Graham Norton gets artists to tell funny stories and share real aspects of their lives and their work; so we’re going to be doing that. It’s a fun way to introduce people who might not be familiar with us to what we do and to reward people who have been seeing us for years by getting some backstage dish.” said Producing Artistic Director Janice L Blixt.
Tickets for the event will be available at the Hilberry Gateway Box Office starting August 8th, www.wsushows.com
Other events will include a holiday party and spring readings of Shakespeare apocrypha and other plays.
The MSF is still in search of more Board Members, specifically Detroiters.