Shakespeare in the Park

About the Festival

The Southern Shakespeare Company’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park Festival invites an annual audience of up to 10,000 over a four-day weekend to enjoy the fun and fanfare as we bring stunning Shakespeare productions to Cascades Park in Tallahassee, Florida.

This event invites well-known celebrities like Emmy award winner Kelsey Scott (12 Years a Slave, The Walking Dead), comedian Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall, Lilo & Stitch), Wil Johnson (The House of the Dragon, Outlander), and our 2026 Guest Star, William Ragsdale (Fright Night, Herman’s Head), to perform William Shakespeare’s classics in Florida’s capital city!

Modeled after Joe Papp’s Free Shakespeare in the Park in New York City, this is a family-friendly event, inviting audiences from all around the Southeast and beyond to enjoy food and libations under the stars with Free Shakespeare at Cascades Park.

Tallahassee arts lovers, clear your calendars: Southern Shakespeare Company is about to make February sizzle! In a bold move that cements its reputation as a trailblazer in regional theater, SSC is shifting its beloved Shakespeare in the Park Festival from May to the milder nights of Feb. 19-22, 2026.

This calendar leap is emblematic of SSC’s fearless spirit as it reinvents tradition. The same community-centered ethos remains at the heart of Shakespeare in the Park: every performance is open to all. Think warm blankets under clear skies, wondrous pageantry beneath the stars, and all the magic of Shakespeare — from the comfort of an ideal winter evening.

This year, with the move to February, audiences will be swept away by The Tempest in the Adderley Amphitheater. Prospero’s commands, Ariel’s flights, and Caliban’s brooding spirit will swirl around Cascades Park like a theatrical tornado — inviting us all to surrender to wonder.

Check out the 2026 Shakespeare in the Park Festival updates below! 

2026 Guest Artist

 Meet the casts

Meet the cast of The Tempest and explore the unforgettable characters they bring to life in our 2026 Shakespeare in the Park Festival production.

Prospero – William Ragsdale (Celebrity Guest Artist)
As the powerful sorcerer Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, William Ragsdale anchors The Tempest with authority, intellect, and emotional depth. Ragsdale brings decades of stage and screen experience to this commanding role.

Miranda – Daily Forsmans
Miranda, Prospero’s daughter, is the heart of The Tempest—curious, compassionate, and encountering the wider world for the first time. Former Bardling Daily Forsmans returns to the festival, stepping onto the mainstage with grace and emotional clarity.

Ferdinand – Grant Williamson
Ferdinand, the Prince of Naples, embodies hope, devotion, and the possibility of renewal after the storm. Grant Williamson returns to Southern Shakespeare Company after appearing as Water in the 2025 production of Shakespeare’s Cosmos.

Ariel – Mason Taylor
Ariel, the magical spirit bound to Prospero’s service, moves fluidly between playfulness and power. Mason Taylor makes his Southern Shakespeare Company debut in this ethereal role, bringing energy and imagination to one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters.

Caliban – Matt Thompson
Caliban, the island’s original inhabitant, is fierce, wounded, and deeply human beneath his rage. SSC regular Matt Thompson returns to the festival stage following memorable performances in Twelfth Night, Henry IV, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Antony & Cleopatra, multiple Bar(d) Crawls, and SSC’s five-actor productions of Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet.

Alonsa, Queen of Naples – Cameron Feagin
Alonsa, reimagined here as the Queen of Naples, carries grief, authority, and political weight in the wake of the storm. Cameron Feagin  makes her Southern Shakespeare Company debut in this regal and emotionally grounded role.

Sebastian – Gabriel Martinez
Sebastian, the sharp-tongued brother of Alonsa, schemes his way through the island’s chaos with biting wit. Gabriel Martinez returns to SSC after standout performances as Lord Capulet and Mercutio in the five-actor Romeo & Juliet.

Antonio – Kristof Kage
Antonio, Prospero’s treacherous brother, is one of Shakespeare’s most unrepentant villains. Kristof Kage brings menace and charisma to the role, following last year’s Henry IV and several seasons as the host of SSC’s popular Bar(d) Crawl.

Gonzalo – John Campana
Gonzalo, the idealistic counselor, offers humor, humanity, and hope amid betrayal and ambition. John Campana returns to SSC after appearing in multiple roles during last year’s Bar(d) Crawl.

Trinculo – Nahum Hagos
Trinculo, the shipwrecked jester, delivers much of The Tempest’s physical comedy and absurdity. Nahum returns to SSC after playing Horatio, the Gravedigger, and other roles in the five-actor Hamlet.

Stephano – Brian Simmons
Stephano, a drunken but dangerous opportunist, adds comic chaos to the island’s uneasy power struggle. Brian Simmons makes his Southern Shakespeare Company debut in this boisterous role.

Boatswain – Carter Nelson
The Boatswain, whose defiance opens the play amid the storm, embodies order and survival in chaos. Carter Nelson returns to SSC after performances as Romeo in the five-actor Romeo & Juliet and in last summer’s Henry IV, and currently serves as the student representative on SSC’s Board of Directors.

Juno – Kiara Lashay
Juno, queen of the gods, presides over the union of Miranda and Ferdinand with majesty and blessing, embodying harmony and protection. Kiara Lashay makes her Southern Shakespeare Company debut in this luminous role.

Ceres – Samantha “Sam” Renee
Ceres, goddess of the harvest, brings warmth, abundance, and grace to the union of Miranda and Ferdinand. Sam returns to SSC after performances in the five-actor Romeo & Juliet and Shakespeare Night Live.

Iris – Maddie Rainer
Iris, messenger of the gods, weaves the union of Miranda and Ferdinand together with energy and elegance. Maddie Rainer returns to SSC following powerful turns as Gertrude and Ophelia in the five-actor Hamlet.

Meet the Bardlings cast of The Winter’s Tale and discover the young performers bringing Shakespeare’s tale of loss, wonder, and redemption to life at the 2026 Shakespeare in the Park Festival.