Great River Shakespeare Festival
The Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF) is a professional equity theatre company in Winona, Minnesota, a Mississippi River town in the southeastern part of the state. Starting in 2004, it has produced several simultaneous performances each summer, held at the Winona State University DuFresne Performing Arts Center, with annual audiences of over 10,000. Its 2024 season runs from June 27 to July 28.
GRSF has been described as a cornerstone of Winona’s reputation as an unmatched destination for cultural events. The festival features many artistic, musical, and other events, such as an annual sonnet contest with entries from around the world. Additionally, Company Conversations, weekly talkbacks with company members, are hosted Sundays at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in downtown Winona.
GRSF also offers educational opportunities, especially for youth, including an apprentice/intern production. Youth classes are offered for grades 7-12, titled Shakespeare for Young Actors (SYA), Shakespeare for Young Designers (SYD), and Shakespeare for Young Filmmakers (SYF). 
Near the end of every season, GRSF company members produce a one-night performance known as Callithump, a ridiculously fun, boisterous and wildly entertaining fundraiser and variety show. Typical acts include singing, skits, and more. Additionally, the event hosts an auction where costume and set pieces are commonly auctioned off. Company members who participate in this show are colloquially known as Thumpians. Before the show, pre-Callithump is held outside the Performing Arts Center; this often includes a dunk tank and other carnival-esque attractions.
== Professional company productions ==
2004 (debut year): The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream
2005: Richard III and Much Ado About Nothing
2006: Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night
2007: Macbeth and As You Like It
2008: The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew
2009: The Tempest and Love's Labours Lost
2010: The Comedy of Errors, Othello, and The Daly News
2011: Henry IV, Part One, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Fantasticks
2012: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
2013: Twelfth Night, or What You Will, and King Henry V
2014: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
2015: Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Glass Menagerie
2016: As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and Georama
2017: The Comedy of Errors, Richard III, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont by Donald Marguiles, and An Iliad
2018: All's Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare in Love, and Venus in Fur
2019: Macbeth, Cymbeline, The Servant of Two Masters adapted by Beth Gardiner, No Child... by Nilaja Sun, and White Rabbit, Red Rabbit
2021: The Tempest, Great Expectations adapted by Gale Childs Daly, and Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe.
2022: Twelfth Night, The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown, Always... Patsy Cline, and All the Town's a Stage: A Winona Story
2023: As You Like It, the world premiere of Imbroglio by Melissa Maxwell, and The Winter's Tale
2024: Hamlet and Much Ado About NothingThe following Shakespeare shows have yet to be produced mainstage by the Great River Shakespeare Festival:Coriolanus
Henry VI
King John
Pericles
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
== Performances by acting apprentices and production interns ==
2004: As You Like It
2005: Twelfth Night
2006: Cymbeline
2007: Julius Caesar 
2008: Pericles
2009: Hamlet
2010: Titus Andronicus
2011: King Lear
2012: All's Well that Ends Well
2013: Macbeth
2014: Troilus and Cressida
2015: King John
2016: Coriolanus
2017: Henry VI
2018: The Merchant of Venice
2019: Love's Labour's Lost.
2021: Romeo and Juliet
== Shakespeare for Young Actors ==
Shakespeare for Young Actors, abbreviated as SYA, is a two-week workshop for students in grades 7-12. The program aims to teach students skills used in the professional acting industry, particularly in the understanding, analysis, and interpretation of Shakespearean texts (see scansion).
This program began in 2010, and has performed the following shows:2010: Henry V
2011: The Winter's Tale
2012: As You Like It
2013: Romeo & Juliet
2014: The Tempest
2015: Macbeth
2016: The Comedy of Errors
2017: Hamlet*
2018: Twelfth Night*
2019: Henry V*. Additionally, the festival hosted a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona done by the visiting group Shakespearean Youth Theatre.
2020: Shakespeare Everywhere (digital showcase)*
2021: As You Like It*
2022: A Midsummer Night's Dream*
2023: Richard III*
2024: King Lear*
*Included designs by Shakespeare for Young Designers
== Shakespeare for Young Filmmakers short films ==
2018: Cassandra
2021: Bearly Beloved
2022: Quack
== Response to COVID-19 ==
Due to the recent Coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled. Many events took place online via Zoom, including Shakespeare for Young Actors & Designers' presentation Shakespeare Everywhere. These online events are sometimes referred to as season 16½.
Additionally, this postponement/cancellation caused a shift in the naming of each season; before the pandemic, seasons were referred to by number (ex. season 15 of GRSF), and are now named after the year in which the season takes place (ex. the 2024 season of GRSF).
The shows slated for 2020 were instead performed in the 2021 season. This season took place almost entirely outdoors; this decision was made in January of 2021, before the restrictions around indoor gatherings were eased.
The festival's performances took place in Levee Park, a public park next to the Mississippi River, on a stage built specifically for the season. Several performances were cancelled due to weather concerns (including air quality problems due to smoke from eastern wildfires).

== External links ==
Great River Shakespeare Festival website
Facebook page
Instagram page