European Shakespeare Festivals Network

21/05/2026

🎭✨ Craiova International Shakespeare Festival is on
From May 21–31, Craiova basically turns into one big stage - not just theatres, but streets, public spaces, and all those unexpected corners of the city.
This year’s theme,“WILL matters,” is all about that idea that theatre is still alive because people keep choosing to make it alive - artists and audiences.
It’s not just a festival you attend — it’s something you move through, bump into, and become part of. A mix of international productions, new interpretations, and city‑wide happenings that make Shakespeare feel very now.

15/05/2026

“A Macbeth Song” on tour 🎭
“A Macbeth Song” by The Tiger Lillies & La Perla 29 is officially on the road — and it’s what we call good networking between festivals.
👑⚔️🩸
This powerful show-concert blends Shakespeare’s Macbeth with dark, cabaret-style music — a haunting story about ambition, power and guilt, told through songs, witches and shadows.
Originally created for the Shakespeare Festival in Barcelona, the production quickly grew into an international journey.
Today opening night for Shakespeare Festival - Globe Neuss
And the journey continues:
📍 24 May – Gdański Teatr Szekspirowski/The Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre
📍 26 May – Craiova International Shakespeare Festival
🌫️🎶🕯️

La tràgica història de 'Macbeth' de la mà de La Perla 29 i The Tiger LilliesEl grup londinenc més cabareter i macabre, The Tiger Lillies, aterra a Catalunya ...

13/05/2026

🎭 Shakespeare Festival Neuss 2026 Shakespeare Festival - Globe Neuss starts tomorrow !

May 14 – June 6 | Globe Theatre Neuss
✨ Highlights:

The Tiger Lillies & La Perla 29 – A Macbeth Song
Rheinisches Landestheater Neuss – Romeo and Juliet
bremer shakespeare company – Romeo and Juliet (modern version)
The HandleBards – As You Like It
Cie Minuit44 – Richard III
Landestheater Linz – Measure for Measure
Greensleeved – Yorick, or the Skull
Rufus Beck & Tango Transit – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Woods of Birnam – Searching for William

workshops, storytelling & special performances

🎟️ Tickets:
https://kulturamt-neuss.de/shakespeare/programm/

27/04/2026

York International Shakespeare Festivalhas officially kicked off few days ago and is already in full swing! 🎉
Check out the full program in the comments and follow all updates on York International Shakespeare Festival Facebook channel. Don’t miss any of the highlights!

Roll on Day 7 of !

Today we're bringing you...

'The Thistle and the Rose: Two Queens in One Isle', at 7:30pm at Theatre @41! 🌹

A Riveting Portrait of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, told in their own words. The Thistle and the Rose begins with Mary’s first letter to Elizabeth as she prepares to leave France to claim her Scottish throne. Although they never met, the play illuminates a 27-year relationship marked by political manoeuvring, personal longing, rivalry and the struggle for power that altered the course of history.

Through decades of correspondence—originally written in French and then translated by Elizabeth’s secretaries—the two monarchs reveal their hopes, fears, alliances, betrayals, and ultimately the fatal conflict that ended with Mary’s ex*****on.

Book your tickets while they last! https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk/events/8abfd5c9-ff91-4002-9998-a05c2d797f10/booking

23/04/2026

🎭 Happy Birthday to the one and only William Shakespeare!

Born in 1564 and still dropping iconic lines centuries later… talk about staying relevant 😎

“To be, or not to be?”
More like: to party, obviously. 🎉

Thanks for the drama, the poetry, the plot twists, and basically half of the quotes we pretend we came up with ourselves 😉

📚 Raise a glass, read a play, or just overthink everything today — in true Shakespearean style.

15/04/2026

👉🗞️ Philip Parr article written for the current edition of Quarto, the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) magazine, about the European Shakespeare Festivals Network and its remarkable members.
These include the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival, Festiwal Szekspirowski w Gdańsku , Letní shakespearovské slavnosti, Ostrava Shakespeare Festival, the York International Shakespeare Festival, and many others across the continent.
The piece also highlights a valuable opportunity for Shakespeareans in Europe to engage with and discover the highly prolific US Shakespeare scene.

The Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Quarto Magazine by the Shakespeare Theatre Association

26/02/2026

Wonderful news for international arts and inclusive culture!

York International Shakespeare Festival has received a Sanctuary Award, recognising its commitment to welcoming and supporting people seeking sanctuary through the arts. ❤️

This recognition highlights how culture and creativity can build bridges across communities — offering belonging, opportunity, and a shared space for storytelling beyond borders.

Congratulations to everyone involved in making the festival a truly welcoming space for artists and audiences from around the world. 👏

📰 Read more here:

York International Shakespeare Festival has been honoured with a Sanctuary in the Arts award for its work supporting people seeking refuge in the UK.

12/01/2026

Vlad Drăgulescu Artistic Director of the “Marin Sorescu” National Theatre in Craiova and Director of the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival Festivalul International Shakespeare, Craiova, was honored at the “10 for Oltenia” Gala, organized by the European Foundation “Mihai Eminescu” and the International Academy “Mihai Eminescu”.

The award was granted in recognition of his support and reinterpretation of the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival — a landmark cultural project that continues to promote artistic excellence and international dialogue through theatre.

Congratulations to Vlad Drăgulescu on this well-deserved recognition and for his outstanding contribution to the international theatre scene!👏👏👏

30/12/2025

🎭Asia Shakespeare Association Announces Graphic Shakespeare Competition 2026! 🎨📚
Calling all creatives! ✍️✨ The Asia Shakespeare Association has officially launched the Graphic Shakespeare Competition 2026, inviting entries in four exciting categories:
✅ Graphic Narrative & Illustration
✅ Play or Comics Script
✅ Cosplay Photography
✅ Game Group
📅 Deadline: March 31, 2026
🏆 Results: Early July 2026
Submit your work and show us your Shakespeare in a whole new light! 🌟

👉For more details visit esfn.eu

29/12/2025

Call for Applications: Verona Shakespeare Fringe Festival 2026 🎭

Are you an experimental theatre artist or a theatre company with a fresh, multidisciplinary take on Shakespeare? Verona Shakespeare Fringe invites you to apply to join their 2026 edition, held July 20–26, 2026 in the historic Teatro SS. Trinità, Verona 🏛️.

VSF looking for:

World premiere performances only 🔥
Bold new approaches to Shakespeare's plays or poetry
Intercultural, multilingual, intergenerational, or international projects
Devised, hybrid, live/digital, or intersectional performances

Why this edition is special:
This Fringe runs simultaneously with the World Shakespeare Congress, offering a unique opportunity to connect with scholars, artists, and global audiences for an extraordinary cultural exchange.

Festival dates: July 20–26, 2026
Send your proposal to: [email protected]

Full info in a comment

👉 Spread the word to fellow artists and companies

23/12/2025

Wishing you peace, joy, and plenty of rest this Christmas—because to nap, or not to nap, that is never the question! 🎄✨ May your holiday be merry, your cocoa warm, and your troubles vanish like ghosts in Elsinore!