The Nashville Shakespeare Festival

08/24/2026

What a weekend! Thank you to everyone who came out to Shakespeare in the Park’s much-anticipated return to Centennial Park!

Saturday’s Homecoming Celebration was buzzing with an enthusiastic audience and special guests to commemorate the return home and looking ahead to an exciting future in Centennial Park with The Playhouse, coming in 2027. We’re just getting started!

Shakespeare in the Park is possible with the support of our sponsors. Thank you to Amazon for your contribution!

📸: Alex Craft

08/24/2026

Congratulations to this Sunday’s Bard of Avon winner, Juliet Ophelia, who received a special gift basket generously sponsored by Mars Petcare US ! And a round of a-paws for our runners-up for Bark of the Bard Sunday!

Thank you to all the very good dogs who joined us for Shakespeare in the Park tonight. See you next Sunday for another round of Bark at the Bard! 🐶

08/23/2026

Thank you to Forrest Sanders and NewsChannel 5 for sharing the story of Shakespeare in the Park’s return to the historic Centennial Park Bandshell and taking a look at NSF’s exciting plans for the future with The Playhouse!

08/22/2026

Did you catch us on Local on 2?

NSF Executive Director Isabel Tipton-Krispin and Andrew Johnson (Nick Bottom/Egeus) joined the show to talk A Midsummer Night’s Dream with host Stephanie Langston.

08/22/2026

Tonight, help us celebrate our homecoming to Centennial Park! 🌳

Before A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we’ll mark the occasion with special guests Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Centennial Park Conservancy Executive Director John Tumminello, and Metro Parks Director Monique Odom.

We’d love to see a BIG crowd in the park to celebrate with us. Bring your friends, bring your family, and join us for a special night of Shakespeare in the Park!

08/21/2026

Headed to Shakespeare in the Park? 🚗

A little planning goes a long way! Check out our parking tips before you head to Centennial Park, give yourself plenty of time, and we’ll see you at the Bandshell.

More parking info + FAQs at the link in bio!

08/21/2026

Introducing The Playhouse.

The Playhouse is our vision for a new home for Shakespeare in Centennial Park: a reusable, Elizabethan-inspired performance structure designed specifically for the historic Bandshell and built to return summer after summer.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Globe and reimagined for Nashville, The Playhouse will give us a flexible foundation for creating entirely different theatrical worlds while reducing the cost and waste of building a new set each year.

Thanks to an extraordinary group of early supporters, $161,181 of our $350,000 campaign has already been pledged. Now, we are inviting Nashville to help build the rest.

Explore The Playhouse and make a gift here: https://www.nashvilleshakes.org/the-playhouse

Built by many. Shared by all.

Design and renderings by HASTINGS Architecture.

08/20/2026

We’re home in Centennial Park, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is underway, and there’s even more on the horizon.

Amy Stumpfl at the Nashville Scene has the story, including an exclusive first look at what’s next for NSF.

Read the full feature:

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ comes to the bandshell Aug. 20

08/20/2026

A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes the stage tonight at the Centennial Park Bandshell, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to Shakespeare in the Park!

A special thank you to our Presenting Sponsors, Beth and Fred Cate, for helping make this show possible.

📸:

08/19/2026

Opening weekend starts TOMORROW!

Plan your night with food + drinks from local vendors, catch a Jackson Insight Lecture, enjoy live music during the Totally Hits 93.3 Pre-Show Concert Series, then settle in for A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the stars.

Admission as always is Pay-What-You-Will! See you in Centennial Park! ✨