Colorado Shakespeare Festival brings multiculturalism to Boulder

By Amanda Heywood

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The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, held every year on the University of Colorado - Boulder's campus, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, continues to wow both locals and travelers alike.  This year, a partnership with the Gorsky Theatre in Vladivostok, Russia, the largest theater in eastern Russia, brings to the festival Nikolai Gogol's 19th-century Russian play "The Inspector General." 

The festival is entering its 54th season and presents five shows each season and one winter holiday show. This season, however, four shows will be presented during the main summer session. In 1975, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival was the seventh theatre in the world to complete all 37 of Shakespeare's plays. Because the festival is based in Boulder, with four shows in the current season being performed on CU-Boulder's campus over the next few months, parking may be more difficult around campus and around Boulder and locals may find that there is an influx of travelers around the area.  

This year's festival will be held from June 24-August 14th at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre at CU-Boulder, as well as the CU-Boulder Main Stage, with ticket prices beginning at $18. This season's plays include "Romeo and Juliet," "The Comedy of Errors," "The Little Prince," and "The Inspector General."

"The Inspector General" includes a cast and crew made up of a combination of American and Russian citizens.  The show is directed by Efim Zvenyatsky, artistic director of Vladivostok's Gorsky Theatre, and set and costume designs are by Moscow designer Vladimir Koltunov. Some performances of this show will be bi-lingual, with some actors speaking English and others Russian, with a cast including actors from the Gorsky Theatre.