2026 NEW SWAN SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL SEASON
The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove
adapted by Anna Fitzgerald & Eli Simon
directed by Eli Simon
Our musical adaptation of the Bard’s raucous comedy is set in a rockin’ 50’s SoCal surf town. Join us for sitcom hilarity, romantic shenanigans, and a toe-tappin’ live skiffle band.
July 8, 10, 12, 17, 18, 23, 24, 26, 29, 31
August 5, 6, 8, 13, 15, 16, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30
Romeo & Juliet
by William Shakespeare
directed by Rachael VanWormer
Romance, humor, family discord, and soaring poetry whirl through the Dust Bowl in Shakespeare’s most famous story. Can love and hope bloom in scarcity?
July 7, 9 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 30
August 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 20, 22, 27, 29
The Merry Wives of Windsor Cove
adapted by Anna Fitzgerald & Eli Simon
directed by Eli Simon
Our musical adaptation of the Bard’s raucous comedy is set in a rockin’ 50’s SoCal surf town. Come join us for sitcom hilarity, romantic shenanigans, and a toe-tappin’ live skiffle band.
Show dates to be announced soon.
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
directed by Rachael VanWormer
Romance, humor, family discord, and soaring poetry whirl through the Dust Bowl in Shakespeare’s most famous story. Can love and hope bloom in scarcity?
Show dates to be announced soon.
Thank you to our 2026 season producers for their continued support
Mary Gilly Graham & John Graham
The Segerstrom Foundation • The Shakespeare Fund of Theater League of Kansas City • Tyler Holcomb
Katie & James Loss • Judith & Wesley Whitmore • Pamela & Carl Lagoni • Susan & Gene Spiritus • Valerie Glass • Susan Hori
James & Gail Lopes • Anne & Albert Encinias • Goran Matijasevic • Joseph Connor • Paula & Steve Schwartz • Mary Watson-Bruce
THE NEW SWAN 2026 COMPANY
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players:
they have their exits and their entrances;
and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”
Seminars &
Education
- Acting Apprenticeships
- Production Internships
- Seminar Series
- High School Visits & Workshops
- Artist Shadowing Program
- Community Conversations
- Shakespeare Weekend
- Friday Folios Series
venue Load-In Video
- 16-ton movable, 130 seat, mini-Elizabethan theater.
- Every seat close to the action.
- Winner of Arts Orange County Award 2013: Outstanding Contribution to the Built Environment.
Diversity
Statement
At New Swan, our productions include people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, celebrating each individual. We allow our differences to affect our productions, manifesting richer and deeper stories. Theater without diversity is meaningless, and diversity without equity is an empty promise.
Join &
Support
- Join the New Swan Shakespeare Society
- Support our Community of Young and Established Artists
- Early Ticket Access
- Invitations to Rehearsals
- Become an Honorary Producer
- Learn more!
Diversity
Statement
At New Swan, our productions include people with a variance of backgrounds and experiences, celebrating each individual both on stage and off. We allow our differences to affect our productions, manifesting richer and deeper stories. Theater without diversity is meaningless, and diversity without equity is an empty promise.
in collaboration with
New Swan Shakespeare Festival is hosted and produced in collaboration with the Drama Department at the University of California at Irvine, the Office of Research, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and the School of Humanities.
