Alabama Shakespeare Festival - Montgomery Alabama

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is located in Montgomery Alabama. It's something that many people around the south have heard of, but few have actually been there and fewer know the history behind this great treasure. The Festival was orginally located in Aniston Alabama and was in a high school and only ran plays six weeks out of the year. In the early 80s the festival faced financial problems, which is when the new building was built in Montgomery on a 250 acre park, by a lover of the arts. Thus creating the Shakespeare Festival that we know today. This Festival will show about 14 different plays each year and at least three will be some of Shakespeare's works, the other stages will perform other classics from writers such as Shaw, Chekhov, Wilder, and many more.

I myself have been to this Festival two times, when I was younger and once when I was older. The

first two trips that I took, were as school trips and I had fun but didn't truly appreciate it until I was a

little older. The building itself is something to see, but also the grounds. The festival sits on 250 acres of land that is a site to see just driving to the stages. The park is open from dusk until dawn every day, and well worth seeing and it's a great place to picnic and even bring your dog, (but dogs must be on a leash). The normal rules do apply, things like do not harm the wildlife, or mess up the pieces of art that are on the property, pick up after yourself, things that are not only rules but just the right things to do. It's a good idea to make sure that you check the weather schedule before heading out as the more beautiful the day the better.

It's easy to purchase tickets if you wish to see a show at the Festival it's best to contact them through their website. However a few things that you should note, children under the age of six are not permitted in the shows, there might be a show at some point for children but this rule is to ensure the performers safety and the patrons enjoyment of the show. Casual attire is what a lot of people wear to the shows they attend, a wide range of attire can be seen when you go. However the times that I went I worn a casual dress, and felt comfortable and thought it was appropriate, so I would recommend nice, but casual. If you are interested to learn more about the performance or ask the actors any questions you might want to know that after each afternoon performance there is a short question and answer with the cast. I had the pleasure of going to a show that had this and I found out so much about the performances. If you want to know even more about the festival you can book a behind the scenes tour. You should contact the box office to find out when it is available and pricing, I have always wanted to do that, but have not had the chance to yet. Seeing a show here is something that I would highly recommend to anyone.


The Alabama Shakespeare Festival website will have all the information on tickets and shows.