Sharon King-Campbell, Shakespeare by the Sea’s new Artistic Director, announced the season at a Twelfth Night Masquerade held at the Pleasantville Legion on January 6th.

“A Season for a New Beginning,” which will run from July 5th to August 12th at outdoor venues in St. John’s, will also include a staged reading of a new work by a Newfoundland and Labrador-based playwright.

King-Campbell will direct The Winter’s Tale, which will play at the Bowring Park Amphitheatre on Friday and Saturday evenings from July 5th to August 3rd. Twelfth Night will play Sunday and Monday evenings from July 14th to August 12th in a downtown location to be announced at a later date. The director for the second mainstage show will be selected through a call for submissions. An unproduced one- act play will also be selected through an open call and will receive a workshop and staged reading as part of the season.

“This season is about celebrating the work that the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival has done for the last 3 decades, and looking toward the future with hope,” says King- Campbell. “Twelfth Night embodies the zany, fun, inclusive, intergenerational community that has been built in and around this company. The Winter’s Tale speaks to the future we hope to see, where equity and inclusivity get closer every day. As we embark on a new decade, the Shakespeare by the Sea Festival is renewing its commitment to help build that future. Bringing new work to our audiences, this season in the form of a staged reading, is part of that commitment.”

Shakespeare by the Sea Festival is a community-based, charitable organization which produces and promotes artistic works with a focus on William Shakespeare. Calls for submissions for directors and playwrights will be issued in January, and auditions will be posted in April. Artists and community members interested in working with the company are encouraged to follow the Facebook page, Instagram account, and the website for the latest information: shakespearebytheseafestival.com.