The Young Shakespeare Players

08/27/2026

Announcing the cast of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Grant Borcherding, presented November 6-21 at the Bartell Theatre:

Romeo - Dylan Juni
Juliet - Kyli Nault
Benvolio - Josh Gibbons
Mercutio - Nicky C***r
Nurse - Danielle Bormann Davidson
Friar - Wyatt Clement
Lord Capulet - Zach Bigelow
Lady Capulet - Sheri Meland
Tybalt - Anders Burck
Prince - Laura Kochanowski
Paris - Patrick Stonecipher
Sampson - Cooper Swanson
Gregory - Webb Beatty
Abram - Nathan Lipkin
Lord Montague - Nate Pilarski
Lady Montague - Diane Silvers
Peter - Lillianna Caldwell
First Citizen - Rosemary Medrano
Apothecary - Echo Joyce

https://bartelltheatre.org/2026/romeo-and-juliet/

08/09/2026

Dear Friends of YSP,
Join us in two weeks for six performances of Shakespeare’s incomparable Romeo and Juliet. As always, the performances are free and are held at the Upstart Crow Theater in the YSP Playhouse, 1806 West Lawn Ave, Madison.
-Jacob and Anne

07/31/2026

06/19/2026

Four performances of G.B. Shaw's The Devil's Disciple Start This Saturday!

The YSP Premiere! Our first new, full, play since 2015!

June 20, 27, and 28 at 1:00 pm

June 25 at 6:00 pm

All performances are free and will be held at the YSP Playhouse, 1806 West Lawn Ave, Madison.

Dear Friends of YSP,

Join us for the performances of YSP's first production of Shaw's great early comedy, The Devil's Disciple. It is a terrifically funny play about idealism, love, and self-sacrifice during the American Revolution. Since its premiere in 1897, The Devil's Disciple has been one of Shaw's most popular plays. It tells the story of Richard Dudgeon, the wayward son of a New England Puritan family, who, after inheriting his father's estate, decides to sacrifice himself at the hands of the British to save the life of a Presbyterian minister. YSP brings to life the sparkling wit and conflict of ideas at the heart of this play. Our production coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and we can think of no better way to mark the event than staging a great play about the importance of conscience and decency during a crucial moment of early American history.

Join us starting Saturday for four free performances! The performances will be held at the Upstart Crow Theater in YSP's Playhouse, 1806 West Lawn Ave, Madison.

--Jacob and Anne

05/20/2026

NEW! 🚨 Lin-Manuel Miranda is heading back to Broadway with a brand-new musical adaptation of Warriors.

Co-written with Eisa Davis, the show is aiming to open next March, as exclusively reported by the Broadway Journal.

Warriors is based on the 1979 cult film and the 1965 novel and debuted as a concept album in 2024 featuring an all star cast including Phillipa Soo, Lauryn Hill, Billy Porter, Nas and Joshua Henry.

Warriors marks Miranda’s first new stage musical since Hamilton, which opened on Broadway in 2015 and went on to become one of the biggest theater hits of all time.

05/16/2026

Boris is weary. So weary. He needs some help to present delightful folk tales in a gorgeous outdoor theater.
MSC is recruiting stage crew for Boris Borisovich's Wonder Tales, performing July 24-August 2 at the Madison Country Day School amphitheater.
Crew positions are available for rehearsal, performance, and combined roles. Theatrical experience is preferred but not mandatory. Crew positions receive a share of production revenue.
To inquire, contact us here via Messenger or write [email protected] .

05/03/2026

Twelfth Night



Intro: May 16, 10:30 am-Noon

Readings: May 23 at 9 am

Rehearsals: June 15-July 24, Monday-Friday, 9 am-Noon

Dress Rehearsals: July 25-30

Performances: July 30-Aug 9



Romeo and Juliet



Intro: May 26, 6 pm-7:30 pm

Readings May 30 at 9 am

Rehearsals: June 15-Aug 7, Monday-Friday, 1 pm-4 pm (with optional mornings added July 27-Aug 7)

Dress Rehearsals: Aug 10-13

Performances: Aug 13-23

Dear Friends of YSP,

This summer, YSP will perform two of Shakespeare's best loved plays: Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet. As always at YSP, all young people who register will receive a substantial speaking role.

For the first time, we scheduled the two summer plays, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night, in such a way that actors can spend full days at YSP from June 15 through early August, if they choose to do both. We hope this will make it easier for families to balance YSP with work obligations (of course, you can do only one or the other of the plays as well). Please keep in mind that there will be a couple of days during the week of July 27th when Romeo and Juliet rehearsal will be cancelled to make way for Twelfth Night dress rehearsals.

Please email us with any questions and we hope to see you at the playhouse this year. You can register for any of these productions by mailing the YSP registration form. As always at YSP, there are no auditions or rejections and everyone receives a substantial speaking role!

Jacob and Anne

The Young Shakespeare Players
1806 West Lawn Ave.
Madison, WI 53711

04/25/2026

If you're interested in performing Shakespeare in the elements and only have a couple of hours to give, we have the event for you!
Signups for Shakespeare In the Park 2026 will be accepted through April 30 at madisonshakespeare.org/auditions . We will present readings of Much Ado About Nothing (11 AM) and Henry the Fourth (1 PM).

04/16/2026

Wait for me, I'm comin'
NEXT Summer❗️

Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards,® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, “Hadestown” is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.