shakespeareances.comShakespeare caricature

 

 

List of Shakespeare Productions

Montage of play programsI'm an opportunist. I don't care about the play's title or who is in it; if I have an affordable opportunity to see Shakespeare, I do so. If we're on vacation and discover some Shakespeare at the destination or en route, we order tickets.

With that in mind, this list is revealing in two ways. One, it represents through my experience what titles tend to be most often produced over the past 30 years.

Two, it proves to be a treasure of Hollywood who's who, most of whom were “who?” back when. Certainly, some actors were already headlining stars when I saw them in London (Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton) or in the United States (Lynn Redgrave, Al Pacino). Many more were my favorite stage actors in England but largely unrecognized outside the theaters. Long before they became internationally known as Lord Voldemort, Snape, Captain Picard, Ghandi, Dr. Octopus, Kenneth Branagh, and Judi Dench, they first impressed me as Romeo, Jaques, Enobarbus, Ford, Hastings, Petruchio, Navarre, and Judi Dench.

Keys to this list: Sarah and I have kept most of our tickets, so most productions going back to 1990 are listed with specific dates (some theaters don't date their tickets). The listed productions from the 1980s don't always have specific dates because I could rely only on playbills and programs (my parents kept some of the tickets of plays they attended with me). As for the 1970s, the only programs I have are those plays I attended with my parents in England; the rest are memories.

For the casts, I list only the principals, but include lesser roles when their portrayals were particularly memorable.

Eric Minton

Click on the play title to see the productions. Productions since 2009 are further described in the On Stage section of this website.

All's Well That End's Well

Antony and Cleopatra

Arden of Faversham

As You Like It

Cardenio (aka Double Falsehood)

The Comedy of Errors

Coriolanus

Cymbeline

Edward III

Hamlet

Henry IV, Part 1

Henry IV, Part 2

[The Most Lamentable Comedy of Sir John Falstaff]

[The Mistorical Hystery of Henry (I)V]

Henry V

Henry VI, Part 1

Henry VI, Part 2

Henry VI, Part 3

Henry VI [conflation]

Henry VIII

Julius Caesar

King John

King Lear

Love's Labour's Lost

Macbeth

Measure for Measure

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Much Ado about Nothing

Othello

Pericles

Richard II

Richard III

Romeo and Juliet

The Spanish Tragedy

The Taming of the Shrew

The Tempest

Timon of Athens

Titus Andronicus

Troilus and Cressida

Twelfth Night

  1. American Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford, Conn.
    1974. Directed by David William: Fred Gwynne (Sir Toby Belch), Carole Shelley (Viola), Caroline McWilliams (Olivia), Philip Kerr (Malvolio), Jack Gwillim (Feste), Larry Carpenter (Orsino), Roberta Maxwell (Maria).
  2. Missouri Shakespeare [Touring Company], Columbia, Mo.
    1980.
  3. Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London, England
    1985. Directed by John Caird: Zoe Wanamaker (Viola), Joanne Pearce (Olivia), Emrys James (Malvolio), Richard Callaghan (Feste), Gemma Jones (Maria), Stephen Moore (Toby Belch), Miles Anderson (Orsino), Nigel Cooke (Sebastian).
  4. Cheek by Jowl, Theatre Royal, Bury Saint Edmunds, England
    December 1986. Directed by Declan Donnellan: Patricia Kerrigan (Viola), David Morrissey (Sebastian), Patrick Romer (Antonio), Timothy Walker (Orsino), Anne White (Olivia), Hugh Ross (Malvolio), Keith Bartlett (Toby Belch).
  5. Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London, England
    1988. Directed by Bill Alexander: Deborah Findlay (Olivia), Harriet Walter (Viola), Roger Allam (Toby Belch), John Carlisle (Malvolio), Pippa Guard (Maria), Bruce Alexander (Feste), Donald Sumpter (Orsino).
  6. Stratford Festival of Canada, Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario
    September 4, 1994. Directed by Richard Monette: Lucy Peacock (Viola), Alison Sealy-Smith (Olivia), Brian Bedford (Feste), Scott Wentworth (Orsino), Jeffery Gruich (Aguecheek) David William (Malvolio), Lewis Gordon (Sir Toby Belch).
  7. American Players Theatre, Spring Green, Wis.
    July 1995. Directed by Kathryn Long: Kim Rhodes (Viola), Jennifer Jordan Campbell (Olivia), Steven Gefroh (Sir Toby Belch), Robert Spencer (Feste), Jonathan Smoots (Malvolio), Mark Corkins (Orsino), Drew Brhel (Aguecheek).
  8. Shakespeare Repertory Theater, Ruth Page Theater, Chicago, Ill.
    February 1996. Directed by Michael Pennington: Elyse Mirto (Viola), Lisa Dodson (Olivia), Greg Vinkler (Malvolio), Howard Witt (Sir Toby Belch), Sarajane Avidon (Maria), Ronald Keaton (Feste), Frank Farrell (Aguecheek).
  9. North Carolina Shakespeare Festival tour, Grand Opera House, Macon, Ga.
    October 21, 1996. [This is on an early list I kept, with a Malvolio and Fabian starred as outstanding performances, but the program has gone missing.]
  10. Atlanta Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Tavern, Atlanta, Ga.
    November 1999. Directed by Tim Habeger: Shelby Hofer (Viola), Elizabeth Diane Wells (Olivia), Jeff Watkins (Malvolio, Musician), Dikran Tulaine (Sir Toby Belch), John Fischer (Feste), Mark Douglas Jones (Orsino).
  11. Stratford Festival of Canada, Festival Theatre, Stratford, Ontario
    October 6, 2001. Directed by Antoni Cimolino: Tara Rosling (Viola), Michelle Giroux (Olivia), Peter Donaldson (Malvolio), James Blendick (Sir Toby Belch), William Hutt (Feste), Sean Arbuckle (Orsino), Michael Therriault (Aguecheek).
  12. American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, Va.
    May 7, 2005. Directed by Jim Warren: Alyssa Wilmoth (Viola), Shirine Babb (Olivia), Jeremy West (Malvolio), Christopher Seiler (Sir Toby Belch), Fred Arsenault (Feste), Gregory Jon Phelps (Orsino), Elizabeth Ruelas (Maria).
  13. Utah Shakespearean Festival, Auditorium Theatre, Cedar City, Utah
    August 29, 2007. Directed by B.J. Jones: Shelly Gaza (Viola), Carey Cannon (Olivia), Donald Sage Mackay (Malvolio), Phil Hubbard (Sir Toby Belch), Jered Tanner (Feste), Michael Sharon (Orsino), Anne Newhall (Maria).
  14. American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, Va.
    January 30, 2010. Actors' Renaissance Season: Miriam Donald (Viola), Sarah Fallon (Olivia), Daniel Kennedy (Malvolio), Benjamin Curns (Sir Toby Belch), John Harrell (Feste), Gregory Jon Phelps (Orsino), Allison Glenzer (Maria).
  15. New York Classical Theatre, Central Park, New York, N.Y.
    June 9, 2012. Directed by Stephen Burdman: Ginny Myers Lee (Viola), Sean Hagerty (Malvolio), John Michalski (Sir Toby Belch), Chantal Jean-Pierre (Olivia), Daniel Patrick Smith (Orsino), Ian Antal (Aguecheek), Ben Charles (Sebastian).
  16. American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, Va.
    Septmeber 9, 2012. Directed by John Basil: Lexie Helgerson (Viola), Stephanie Holladay Earl (Olivia), Patrick Earl (Orsino), Jacob Daly (Sebastian), Drew Millstone (Malvolio), Rick Blunt (Sir Toby Belch), Andrew Goldwasser (Feste).
  17. The Mad and Merry Theatre Company, Gene Frankel Theatre, New York, N.Y.
    December 7, 2012. Directed by Beth Pollack: Madeline Sayet (Viola), Kristin McCarthy Parker (Maria), Michael Deely (Sir Toby Belch), Jonathan William Minton (Aguecheek), Sydney Angel (Feste), Adam Hale (Orsino), Miles Burnett (Sebastian).
  18. Taffety Punk Theatre Company, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Washington, D.C.
    February 23, 2013. Directed by Michelle Shupe: Esther Williamson (Viola), Tonya Beckman (Olivia), Kimberly Gilbert (Death as Feste), Daniel Flint (Malvolio), Ian Armstrong (Sir Toby Belch), Jared Mercier (Aguecheek), Ricardo Frederick Evans (Orsino).
  19. Folger Theatre, Washington, D.C.
    May 5, 2013. Directed by Robert Richmond: Emily Trask (Viola), Tonya Beckman (Maria), Louis Butelli (Feste), Richard Sheridan Willis (Malvolio), Craig Wallace (Sir Toby Belch), Rachel Pickup (Olivia), James Konicek (Aguecheek).
  20. Shakespeare's Globe, Belasco Theatre, New York, N.Y.
    November 1, 2013. Directed by Tim Carroll: Mark Rylance (Olivia), Samuel Barnett (Viola), Paul Chahidi (Maria), Stephen Fry (Malvolio), Angus Wright (Aguecheek),Peter Hamilton Dyer (Feste), Colin Hurley (Sir Toby Belch), Joseph Timms (Sebastian).
  21. Synetic Theater, Arlington, Va.
    January 9, 2014. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili: Irina Tsikurishvili (Viola), Alex Mills (Sebastian), Kathy Gordon (Olivia), Philip Fletcher (Orsino), Irakli Kavsadze (Malvolio), Ben Cunis (Feste), Vato Tsikurishvili (Fabian), Irina Kavsadze (Maria).
  22. Bedlam, Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, New York City, N.Y.
    April 11, 2015. Directed by Eric Tucker: Susannah Millonzi (Viola, Maria), Eric Tucker (Orsino, Aguecheek), Andrus Nichols (Toby, Olivia), Edmund Lewis (Malvolio), Tom O'Keefe (Feste, Fabian).
  23. Bedlam, Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, New York City, N.Y.
    April 11, 2015. Directed by Eric Tucker: Susannah Millonzi (Olivia, Aguecheek), Eric Tucker (Viola, Sebastian, Toby), Andrus Nichols (Orsino, Maria), Edmund Lewis (Malvolio), Tom O'Keefe (Feste, Sebastian, Cesario).
  24. American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, Va.
    June 18, 2016. Directed by Beth Burns: René Thornton Jr. (Malvolio), Allison Glenzer (Olivia), Jessika Williams (Viola), Chris Johnston (Feste), Benjamin Reed (Sebastian), John Harrell (Orsino), David Anthony Lewis (Toby), Patrick Earl (Aguecheek).
  25. Titan Theatre Company, Queens Theater, New York, N.Y.
    March 25, 2017. Directed by Lenny Banovez: Sierra Thothero (Viola), Lauren Tothero (Sebastian), Tyler Moss (Orsino), Lloyd Mulvey (Malvolio), Tom Morin (Feste), Ian O'Boyle (Fabian), Tressa Preston (Olivia), Michael Selkirk (Toby), Laura Frye (Maria).
  26. Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sidney Harman Hall, Washington, D.C.
    November 20, 2017. Directed by Ethan McSweeny: Heath Saunders (Feste), Antoinette Robinson (Viola), Derek Smith (Malvolio) Jim Lichtscheidl (Aguecheek), Andrew Weems (Toby), Hannah Yelland (Olivia), Bhavesh Patel (Orsino).
  27. Fiasco Theatre, Classic Stage Company, New York, New York.
    January 5, 2018. Directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld: Jessie Austrian (Olivia), Emily Young (Viola), Ben Steinfeld (Feste), Andy Grotelueschen (Toby Belch), Paco Tolson (Aguecheek), Paul L. Coffey (Malvolio), Tina Chilip (Maria). Noah Brody (Orsino).
  28. Utah Shakespeare Festival, Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre, Cedar City, Utah.
    August 10, 2019. Directed by Sam White: Sarah Hollis (Viola), Betsy Mugavero (Olivia), Trent Dahlin (Feste), Chris Mixon (Malvolio), Katie Cunningham (Maria), Todd Denning (Toby Belch), Josh Jeffers (Aguecheek), René Thornton Jr. (Orsino).

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Winter's Tale

The Sonnets

The Rape of Lucrece

Venus and Adonis

Miscellaneous

Non-Shakespeare Productions