July 2026 will be the RCP’s 29^th year of Shakespeare in the Park at the Highland Park Bowl

Beginning Thursday, July 9 through Saturday, July 25, 2026, free performances of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare will fill the park’s stage. This will be the second RCP Shakespeare in the Park production for director Jonathan Lowery. His first was The Merry Wives of Windsor in July 2023.  

About the Production 

It’s 2015 and The Taming of the Shrew has discovered Instagram! In Padua, the effort to resist external social  pressure and instead seek personal authenticity is a difficult challenge. The newly found ability to influence truly massive groups of people online battles against the characters’ ability to connect with those closest to them and discover their own personal happiness. Of course, hijinks and goofy plots abound as well! After all, what is the internet without silly videos and cat memes?

Performance Dates

July 9- 25, 2026, at the Highland Park Bowl

Director’s Notes

The Taming of the Shrew is, at its heart, a play about seeking healthy and authentic relationships. Many aspects of the play are difficult to digest 400 years after its writing, mostly due to the changing concepts of a healthy relationship. RCP’s production aims to adapt this classic play into a format that allows modern audiences to engage with the original intent while shedding as much historical and cultural baggage as possible.