The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (NDSF) is thrilled to return in 2025 as we celebrate 25 years of serving Michiana with world-class productions of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. This year, the NDSF Professional Company stages Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, King Lear (Aug 21-31; previews Aug. 19-20), directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh and featuring celebrated Chicago actor Kevin Gudahl as Lear.
“Since the founding of the Festival in 2000, the vision of our founder, Paul Rathburn, has remained constant: Bring the nation’s best artists and designers to the University of Notre Dame in order to produce world-class productions of Shakespeare’s works for the benefit of our students and wider community,” says Scott Jackson, Mary Irene Ryan Family Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at Notre Dame. “We are honored to carry this legacy forward for the next 25 years!”
King Lear:
In its first ever production of King Lear, the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival presents a world of power, where an aging Lear discovers that loyalty dissolves when his land and its valuable assets are divided amongst his flattering daughters. Under the direction of Pirronne Yousefzadeh, a director, writer, and educator whose work has been produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Playmakers Repertory Company, the Kennedy Center, and many others, this production of Shakespeare’s tragic masterpiece compels its audience to “see better” and reconsider the value of truth, loyalty, and compassion.
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WHAT: King Lear (NDSF 2025)
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WHEN: Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 21-31, 2025 (previews Aug. 19 & 20)
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WHERE: Patricia George Decio Theatre, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Notre Dame, IN
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COST: Tickets $10-$75 at shakespeare.nd.edu.
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PUBLIC CONTACT: Shakespeare at Notre Dame at shakes@nd.edu.
PRE-SHOW AND POST-SHOW EVENTS:
Join us for special events accompanying our Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances:
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OPENING NIGHT / 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: Thursday, August 21st, 6:00pm, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, $75 (includes food, drink, and a ticket to the opening night performance of King Lear)
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Celebrate the opening night of King Lear and 25 years of the Notre Dame Shakespeare festival by raising a glass with cast and crew, donors, and stalwart audience members from seasons past and present.
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POST-SHOW ACTOR Q&A: Immediately following both Friday night performances (8/22 and 8/29), Patricia George Decio Theater, FREE
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Stay behind after the show to share your thoughts and questions with the actors.
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PRE-SHOW SEMINAR: August 23, 6:45pm, Regis Philbin Theatre, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, FREE
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Conducted by Notre Dame’s Professor Peter Holland and Dr. Jennifer Birkett, this NDSF pre-show talk explores the themes and deep questions posed by King Lear to help you more fully enjoy the production.
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GALLERY STROLL WITH PROFESSOR PETER HOLLAND: August 30, 1:00pm, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, FREE
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Come see Raclin Murphy’s newly displayed King Lear and Cordelia by 18th century Irish artist, James Barry, and hear from Peter Holland, McMeel Family Professor in Shakespeare Studies, about the afterlives of King Lear and how artists reimagined Shakespeare after his death.
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Call (574) 631-3777, visit shakespeare.nd.edu, or follow us on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram for information on ticketing & parking, and to learn more about the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival’s current season.