Feb. 19, 2026
Viroqua Shakespeare
VIROQUA, Wis. — Viroqua Shakespeare announces its fifth year providing free, public performances of William Shakespeare’s plays for the Viroqua area with the staging of Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous love stories ever written in the English language.
Viroqua Shakespeare is excited to draw together local and national talent to produce high quality performances of Shakespeare’s enduring plays that are free and accessible to the public. Since its inception in 2022, the project has been supported by Thoreau College, a local nonprofit organization committed to expanding educational opportunities and participatory arts and culture in the community.
In the last year, Viroqua Shakespeare has received support and recognition from around the state, receiving substantial grants from both the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin and Wisconsin Humanities, among other supporters and sponsors, helping to ensure the continued growth and accessibility of the program.
Each summer, professional actors and theater artists from around the country join local cast and crew members to bring Shakespeare’s drama, comedy, and tragedy vividly to life in Viroqua.
“Shakespeare belongs to everyone. It was an incredibly egalitarian event back in the early 1600s when Shakespeare was writing in south London,” said Liam McGilligan, the local director and co-founder of the Viroqua Shakespeare Festival. “Our goal has always been to bring that atmosphere back and remove barriers—financial, cultural, or otherwise—by inviting the community to experience these plays together, outdoors, and alive in the present moment, with live music, food and drink, you name it.”
Romeo and Juliet will be directed by Greta Zandstra, a Chicago-based theater artist returning for her third Shakespeare production in Viroqua. Zandstra previously directed Our Town for the Viroqua Community Theater, and in between theater gigs works seasonally at her family’s farm and greenhouse in Highland, Indiana.
“Romeo and Juliet reminds us how fiercely human these characters are,” Zandstra said. “Every time we return to this play, it reveals something new—about love, about conflict, and about how desperately people want to be heard.”
Other regional talent will include the return of Stanton Davis, Head of Voice and Speech at Northern Illinois University Theater Department, as Fight Choreographer and Voice Coach.
Local and self-professed Shakespeare Nerd Rose Bruce will return for the second year as the production’s Text Coach. Rose also leads organizational efforts of Viroqua Shakespeare’s Bardathon, an annual 24/7, week long community reading of the complete works of Shakespeare, taking place in person and on Zoom each January.
Donations to Viroqua Shakespeare are welcome and directly support artists, production costs, and free public performances.
For more information, to make a donation, or to inquire about sponsorship and participation opportunities, contact Liam McGilligan at liam@thoreaucollege.org or 608-609-1957.
Future updates and announcements will be found at thoreaucollege.org/viroqua-shakespeare-festival or on the Viroqua Shakespeare Facebook page.
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