If you’ve spent any real time around Boulder, you already know the Shakespeare Festival is more than just a cultural event. It has become part of the rhythm of summer here, something people look forward to each year without needing much explanation.
From what I’ve seen working in real estate, events like this quietly shape how people experience the city. They influence how neighborhoods feel, how people spend their time, and even how they think about staying longer.
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is another example of that.
If you’re planning to be in Boulder this summer, it’s worth understanding how the festival fits into that time and how to plan around it.
Table of Contents
- 1. History of Colorado Shakespeare Festival
- 2. Colorado Shakespeare Festival Highlights
- 3. The Shakespeare Festival Experience in Boulder
- 4. Colorado Shakespeare Festival Tickets
- 5. Colorado Shakespeare Festival Schedule
- 6. Why Attend the Colorado Shakespeare Festival
- 7. Travel Guide to Boulder for the Festival
- 8. Tips for Attending the Shakespeare Festival
- 9. Final Thoughts
- 10. Frequently Asked Questions
History of Colorado Shakespeare Festival
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival has been running since 1958, which makes it one of the longest-running Shakespeare festivals in the entire country.
It’s a professional, non-profit theatre company that operates in association with the University of Colorado Boulder, drawing on the university’s resources for rehearsal space, costume shops, and box office services while remaining largely self-funded through ticket sales, donations, and education programs.
From what I’ve seen over the years, what makes this festival different from others is how embedded it is in the identity of the city.
- It draws thousands of attendees each summer, including locals who treat it as an annual tradition and visitors who plan entire trips around it.
- The productions are professionally cast, directed, and staged.
- The Boulder Colorado Shakespeare Festival consistently attracts theatre professionals from across the country who come to perform on its distinctive stages.
- The festival operates across two venues on the CU Boulder campus: the open-air Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, which seats audiences under the Colorado sky, and the climate-controlled Roe Green Indoor Theatre for productions better suited to an intimate interior setting.
Together, these venues create a summer theatre experience that feels both grand and surprisingly personal.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival Highlights
Venue Updates & What to Expect
One of the biggest recent developments at the festival is the return of the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre following two full seasons of renovations. The Hellems Building, which wraps around the outdoor stage, underwent a major transformation, and audiences coming back will notice it immediately. The renovated venue includes:
- Brand-new patio seating areas surrounding the historic stage
- A spacious atrium lobby with a cafe where you can grab a drink before the show or during intermission
- Improved accessibility across the entire venue
- Restored and enhanced historic seating areas
- Complimentary seatbacks for added comfort during evening performances
These aren’t cosmetic changes. They address real comfort and logistics issues that have come up over decades of outdoor performances. That said, the soul of the venue: open sky, stone architecture, summer evenings, is exactly as it’s always been.
The Productions
Each season features a mix of classic Shakespeare and contemporary work across the two venues, offering something for audiences with very different tastes.
Twelfth Night
Directed by Kevin Rich, Twelfth Night opens the outdoor season on June 7 at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre and runs through August 2.
This is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, following Viola, who survives a shipwreck and disguises herself as a boy named Cesario.
Sent by Duke Orsino to court the Countess Olivia, she instead finds that Olivia falls for her, while Viola herself falls for the Duke. Add in Olivia’s mischievous uncle Sir Toby and his scheme against the pompous steward Malvolio, and you have chaos, mistaken identity, and genuine warmth all in one evening. It’s a great entry point for anyone who’s never attended the festival before.
Julius Caesar
Running at the indoor Roe Green Theatre from June 14 through August 2, Julius Caesar is a natural companion piece to the season’s other productions. The story of power, loyalty, betrayal, and consequence feels as relevant now as it ever has. This production spotlights the insidious effects of patriarchy in Roman society, giving audiences something to think about beyond the political drama on stage.
Shakespeare in Love
Based on the Oscar-winning screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall with music by Paddy Cunneen, Shakespeare in Love opens at the outdoor Mary Rippon Theatre on June 27 and runs through August 1. Young Will Shakespeare, penniless and blocked, finds his muse in Viola de Lesseps and the story of how that love affair inspired Romeo and Juliet unfolds with comedy, romance, and plenty of inside jokes for Shakespeare enthusiasts.
This one is genuinely fun for all ages, and it’s the kind of production that tends to pull in people who don’t usually think of themselves as theatre-goers.
Friends/Romans/Countrymen (World Premiere)
This is the one I’m most curious about. Friends/Romans/Countrymen, written by David Davalos and commissioned specifically by CSF, premieres at the Roe Green Indoor Theatre on July 11 and runs through August 1.
The premise involves a struggling poet named Virgil who accidentally bumps into Julius Caesar and, in doing so, inadvertently creates the Roman Empire. It’s a supernatural, comedic take on the Julius Caesar story that shifts focus away from the main figures and toward the peripheral characters who were also present for all of it.
Getting to see a world premiere at a regional festival of this caliber is genuinely rare.
Special Programs and Educational Events
Beyond the main stage productions, CSF runs an active education program throughout the summer. Summer camps for kids and teens aged 6 to 18 run from late June through early August on the CU Boulder campus, offering young participants the chance to rehearse, stage, and perform shortened versions of Shakespeare plays. Shakespeare’s Sprites (for ages 6 to 9) and Camp Shakespeare (for older students) each culminate in a final showing for family and friends. Scholarships are available for families who need financial support to participate.
CSF also offers pre-show talks, post-show talkbacks with directors and cast members, and public lectures throughout the season. These are worth arriving early for, particularly if you’re bringing someone who’s new to Shakespeare and wants a bit of context before the play begins.
The Shakespeare Festival Festival Experience in Boulder
The Venues
The Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre sits in the heart of the CU Boulder campus, surrounded by the historic stone and terracotta architecture of the Hellems Arts and Sciences Building. The stage is open to the sky, and performances happen in the evening as the light shifts from golden hour into night. Depending on where you sit, you might watch a scene unfold while the Flatirons glow in the distance. It’s the kind of setting that photographs can’t fully capture.
The Roe Green Indoor Theatre, by contrast, is climate-controlled and intimate, designed for the kind of close-quarters storytelling that suits both Julius Caesar and the new world premiere. Both venues are on the main CU campus at 1515 Central Campus Mall, Boulder, CO 80309, making them easy to find and relatively easy to access once you know the parking situation.
Atmosphere and Audience
The audience at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival is genuinely mixed, which I always appreciate. You’ll find longtime subscribers who have been coming for decades sitting next to first-timers, families with teenagers, CU students on a budget using their discounts, and visitors who drove up from Denver specifically for a show. The vibe is relaxed but attentive. People dress casually, this is Colorado, after all, but they’re there for the theatre, and the energy in the outdoor space especially tends to be quietly electric by the time the lights go down.
Why Boulder Is the Right Place for This
As someone who works in Boulder real estate, I pay close attention to what makes this city tick. The Colorado Shakespeare Festival is one of those anchoring institutions that draws people in from outside and keeps locals genuinely engaged with the cultural life of the place. Boulder has the combination of natural setting, academic energy from CU, and a community that invests in arts and public life that makes an outdoor Shakespeare festival feel not just appropriate but essential. The festival has been here since 1958, and it has grown with the city. That’s not a coincidence.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival Tickets
Ticket Pricing Overview
Colorado Shakespeare Festival tickets are priced to accommodate a wide range of budgets, which is one of the things CSF does particularly well. Pricing varies by production, performance date, and seat location, but the real value is in the discount structure. Here’s a breakdown of what’s available:
That said, the real value is in the discount structure. Here’s a breakdown of what’s available:| Discount Category | Discount Amount |
|---|---|
| Preview Night | 20% off |
| Group Bookings (10–60) | 10–60% off |
| Youth Tickets | $10 and $20 tickets |
| Senior Discount | $2 off |
| Active Military | $5 off |
| CU Students & Employees | 25% off |
| Season Ticket Holders | 15–25% off |
Where and How to Buy Colorado Shakespeare Festival Tickets
Tickets are available through the official CU Presents ticketing platform at cupresents.org. You can also purchase by phone at 303-492-8008, or in person at the CU Presents Box Office, which is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Season tickets, which offer the best per-show pricing and priority access, typically go on sale in the fall. Single tickets usually become available in December. Shows do fill up, so if you have specific dates in mind, it’s worth checking availability sooner rather than later.
Early Booking Tips:
- Check availability for your preferred dates at cupresents.org before making any plans
- Consider the season ticket packages if you plan to see more than two productions — the savings add up quickly
- Preview nights are underrated and save you 20 percent with no real trade-off on quality
- If you’re bringing a group of 10 or more, call the box office directly to discuss group pricing options
- Youth, student, and military discounts are automatically applied — just have valid ID ready
Colorado Shakespeare Festival Schedule
Full Production Schedule
| Production | Venue | Dates | Show Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre | June 7 – Aug 2 | 7:30 PM |
| Julius Caesar | Roe Green Indoor Theatre | June 14 – Aug 2 | 7:30 PM / 1:30 PM (mat.) |
| Shakespeare in Love | Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre | June 27 – Aug 1 | 7:30 PM |
| Friends/Romans/Countrymen | Roe Green Indoor Theatre | July 11 – Aug 1 | 7:00 PM |
Tips to Plan Your Visit
If you’re driving in from Denver or elsewhere along the Front Range, building your visit around a single evening show is straightforward. That said, Boulder in summer has a lot going on, and coming for a weekend and catching two shows across the venues is a genuinely satisfying way to experience the festival more fully.
Parking on and near the CU Boulder campus can get tight on busy summer evenings. The festival publishes specific parking guidance on its website, and using the Park and Ride options available near campus is a reasonable strategy if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Plan to arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes before curtain, both for parking and to take advantage of the pre-show programming.
Why Attend the Colorado Shakespeare Festival
There are Shakespeare festivals across the country, and I’ve been to a few of them. What keeps the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in its own category for me comes down to three things.
- The outdoor setting is genuinely exceptional. Watching theatre under the Colorado sky, in a venue surrounded by century-old stone architecture, with the Flatirons visible in the distance on clear evenings, it creates a kind of atmosphere that’s hard to manufacture anywhere else. The physical experience of being at this festival is part of the event itself, not just a backdrop to it.
- The production quality is consistently high. CSF works with professional actors, directors, and designers, and regularly commissions and premieres new work alongside the classical productions. That combination of tradition and ambition is what separates a serious festival from a seasonal attraction.
- There’s genuine range in the audience and the programming. Each season balances accessible, crowd-pleasing productions with deeper classical and contemporary work, which means first-time theatregoers have an easy entry point while longtime subscribers stay genuinely engaged. That kind of thoughtful programming is what keeps a festival relevant across generations.
At the same time, I’d be honest with anyone who asked: if outdoor evening theatre isn’t your thing, the Roe Green productions give you the full CSF experience in a comfortable indoor setting. There’s no single right way to attend, and the festival is designed to accommodate different preferences.
Travel Guide to Boulder for the Festival
How to Get to Boulder
Boulder sits about 27 miles northwest of Denver, which makes it a comfortable day trip from the city and easily accessible from Denver International Airport. Driving typically takes 40 to 55 minutes depending on traffic. Highway 36 (Boulder Turnpike) is the main route from Denver, and US-36 connects directly to the CU Boulder campus area.
For those who prefer not to drive, the Flatiron Flyer bus service runs express routes between Denver Union Station and Boulder, with service that operates reliably throughout the day. Once in Boulder, RTD bus routes and rideshare services make getting around campus relatively easy, especially for evening events.
Accommodation Options
Boulder has a solid range of places to stay, from independent boutique hotels to larger chain options near the east end of town. For festival attendees, the key consideration is proximity to the CU campus and Pearl Street, which together make up the heart of the visitor experience.
- The Basecamp Hotel Boulder and Hotel Boulderado are both well-regarded downtown options within reasonable distance of campus
- The St. Julien Hotel and Spa is one of Boulder’s more upscale properties, located near Pearl Street Mall
- For budget-conscious visitors, there are several more affordable options along 28th Street and in surrounding communities like Louisville and Lafayette
Short-term rental listings through the usual platforms are plentiful in Boulder during summer, and can be a good value for multi-night stays.
📍 Local Note: As a Boulder real estate agent, I'll say this—the short-term rental market in Boulder is active in summer, and booking even two to three weeks out can mean your first-choice option is already gone. If you're planning around a specific show date, lock in your accommodation early.
Nearby Attractions
Boulder is genuinely worth more than a single evening, and there’s no shortage of things to do if you build in extra time. Pearl Street Mall is the obvious starting point — a pedestrian mall lined with independent shops, restaurants, and street performers that captures a lot of what makes Boulder feel like Boulder. Chautauqua Park, which sits at the base of the Flatirons, has hiking trails for every fitness level and stunning views that remind you why people pay Boulder real estate prices to live here. The Colorado Shakespeare Gardens on the CU campus, established in 1991, features plants referenced in Shakespeare’s works and is worth a quiet walk before or after a show.
Tips for Attending the Shakespeare Festival
What to Bring
For outdoor performances at the Mary Rippon Theatre, preparation matters more than most people expect. The festival now offers complimentary seatbacks, which is a welcome upgrade. Beyond that:
- Dress in layers, Boulder summer evenings cool down quickly, especially after sunset, and a light jacket or fleece is worth bringing even if it’s warm when you leave the hotel
- Cushions or blankets for added comfort on stone seating, though seatbacks are now provided
- Water bottle, as staying hydrated at altitude is genuinely important, especially on warmer evenings
- Insect repellent for outdoor performances, evenings near the foothills can attract mosquitoes
- A small bag or backpack to hold everything without it becoming cumbersome
Best Seating Choices
The Mary Rippon Theatre wraps around the stage in a semicircle, and seats are tiered for reasonable sightlines from most positions. Center sections tend to offer the clearest view of the stage and the best acoustics. For first-time visitors, I’d recommend center or slightly offset seats in the mid-range rows, close enough to see facial expressions, far enough back to take in the full staging.
Indoor at the Roe Green Theatre, the intimate scale means there’s genuinely not a bad seat in the house. That said, center seats in the middle rows remain the sweet spot for both sightline and sound.
Weather Considerations
Colorado weather is unpredictable in summer, and the festival is clear about this on its website. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, but evening storms are relatively rare. The festival has a weather policy in place, and the box office can advise on what happens in the event of a weather-related delay or cancellation.
In many cases, shows proceed even if there’s a light rain. Coming prepared rather than assuming the evening will be flawlessly clear is simply the smarter approach. The new atrium lobby with its cafe gives you a real indoor option if you need to wait out a brief shower before curtain.
Final Thoughts
Every summer I’m reminded that Boulder has a quality of life that’s genuinely difficult to replicate. Events like the Colorado Shakespeare Festival are a big part of why. It’s not just that the productions are good, it’s that the whole experience of attending, in this setting, in this city, adds up to something that stays with you.
If you’re visiting Boulder this summer, building your trip around a Shakespeare Festival performance is one of the better decisions you can make.
If you’re already here and haven’t gone in a few years, the newly renovated outdoor venue, the consistently strong programming, and the mix of classical and accessible productions make any season a reasonable moment to get back.