Colorado Shakespeare Festival
A Colorado Tradition Comes Home!
CSF returns to the beloved Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre. Opened in 1939, the Rippon has been lovingly refreshed and is ready to welcome you back to gather, to laugh, and to share theatre outdoors under the stars once again.
For nearly 70 years, generations of theatregoers like you have discovered the magic of summer nights in Boulder, with joy, romance, and drama unfolding in the shadow of the Flatirons. Summer 2026, we return to those roots and begin a new chapter with classic Shakespeare and daring new works. This season, we come full circle.
Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Shakespeare in Love
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall with music by Paddy Cunneen
Friends/Romans/Countrymen
By David Davalos
For over 60 seasons, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival has delighted audiences with classic theater under the stars. CSF is a professional theater company in association with the University of Colorado Boulder. Since 1958, the festival has celebrated and explored Shakespeare and his continuing influence and vitality through productions of superior artistic quality, education and community engagement.
Plan Your Visit
CU Boulder Students
CU Boulder student discounts are available anytime online, in person and by phone.
If tickets are purchased over the phone or in person, CU Boulder students must have a valid BuffOne Card in hand.
25% off up to four (4) tickets per performance
- Artist Series
- Takács Quartet (in-person tickets only)
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival (excluding previews)
- Eklund Opera Program
- Music Theatre Program
- CU Theatre & Dance
60% off for groups of 10+ CU Boulder students
Non-CU Boulder college students
Non-CU Boulder college student discounts are available online or by phone.
$5 off single tickets for
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival (excluding previews)
CU Boulder faculty/staff discounts are available online, in person and by phone after single tickets go on sale.
If tickets are purchased over the phone or in person, faculty and staff must have a valid BuffOne Card in hand.
25% off up to four (4) tickets per performance
- Artist Series
- Takács Quartet (in-person tickets only)
- Eklund Opera Program
- Music Theatre Program
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival (excluding previews)
- CU Theatre & Dance
Youth discounts and tickets are available online, in person and by phone.
$5 off single tickets for all College of Music events
- Artist Series
- Takács Quartet (in-person tickets only)
- Eklund Opera Program
- Music Theatre Program
All youth tickets $5 for
- CU Theatre & Dance
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
- Youth ages 5-12: $10 tickets in all sections
- Youth ages 13-18: $20 tickets in all sections
Senior discounts are available online, in person and by phone.
$2 off single tickets for
- Artist Series
- Eklund Opera Program
- Music Theatre Program
- CU Theatre & Dance
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival (excluding previews)
Active military discounts are available in person and by phone only.
$5 off single tickets for
- Colorado Shakespeare Festival (excluding previews)
Volunteer to usher at a performance of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and you will get to see the show for free!
FAQs
Preview performances afford audiences a reduced ticket price for a “sneak peek” of the completed production. Be the first audience to see the play in its entirety with directors and designers in the house. Preview performances are the night prior to opening night.
Most CSF plays run between two and three hours, with intermission.
Most people catch on to the rhythm of the language after five to 10 minutes. A free program contains synopses, character listings and information provided by directors.
Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a non-profit, professional theatre company launched by and in association with the University of Colorado Boulder. The university supports the work of CSF in many ways, providing performance and rehearsal space, access to costumes and scene shops, and marketing and box office services.
CSF relies in part on state funds. Ticket sales, tax-deductible donations from patrons and educational programs provide 90 percent of the support for CSF. The university provides about 10 percent of the budgeted revenue, in exchange for integration with and support of the academic mission of the CU Boulder College of Arts and Sciences.
Professional actors, directors, designers and technicians, hired from around the country and overseas, make up the majority of the CSF company. As part of our ongoing commitment to the educational mission of the University of Colorado Boulder, CSF also provides internships and employment experience to CU students in performing arts and other programs, including roles in the productions.
