Merced ShakespeareFest

Merced has a diverse, bustling and rich arts scene. And not only downtown on Main Street, but also at Merced College, the UC Campus, high school auditoriums and stages, and more. The phrase that you might have heard, “There is nothing to do here,” is not true. But then the pandemic hit a year ago. Rehearsals stopped, shows had to be canceled,…

Community members have the opportunity to appear in a small or large way inMerced Shakespearefest’s upcoming work, “Don Quixote de la Merced”, by auditioning on…

Merced Shakespearefest will hold auditions for its new webseries in mid-March. Following up on the success of last year’s bilingual “Ricardo II” webseries…

In this new year of 2021, the local Shakespeare Festival will be celebrating its 20th season! Artistic Director and Founder Heike Hambley directed the first Shakespeare comedy for the young theater company, “Much Ado About Nothing,” in August of 2002! The staging happened outdoors in Applegate Park, at the MOAT (Merced Open Air Theater),…

The Merced Open Air Theater, also known as the MOAT, inside Applegate Park was recently renovated, thanks to a generous donation of $25,000 by…

In its 19th season Merced Shakespeare Fest announces auditions for their first bilingual production — the political tragedy “Ricardo / Richard II” on…

Merced ShakespeareFest has brought a truly unique production to its annual series at the Merced Open Air Theater in Applegate Park. This year a modern version of the bard’s Comedy of Errors is set in outer space — as in, like, beyond Earth. On stage, the space station Ephesus finds itself locked in a war with the nearby rogue…

If you love science fiction — perhaps the original Star Ttrek series with characters larger than life boldly going where no one had gone before — or the…

Merced Shakespearefest continues its 18th season this summer at Applegate Park with a unique version of “The Comedy of Errors." The raucous, farcical…

In its 18th Season, Merced Shakespearefest invites actors to audition for the popular slapstick comedy “The Comedy of Errors” on Saturday, June 29, at 11 a.m. at the MAC, the Merced Arts Center, on 645 W. Main Street, in downtown Merced. Performance dates will be Sept. 14, 15, 21, 22 at Applegate Park in Merced, and possibly one more weekend…