eMusic Wire - Closing Madison's Summer Classic Season With Fantastical Folklore and August Lovers

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Heavy doses of Romeo, Juliet, and Shakespeare's best rom-coms on tap

MADISON, Wis. - eMusicWire -- Madison Shakespeare Company today announced the full details of its late summer 2026 programming, featuring an original adaptation of Eastern European folklore with big adventures and even bigger personalities, and a collection of love scenes by William Shakespeare performed in two distinctly different settings. All three productions are open-air presentations.

Boris Borisovich's Wonder Tales, presented July 24-August 2 at the Madison Country Day School amphitheater in Waunakee is MSC's deepest foray yet into the rich world of folklore and fantastic adventure outside the English-language canon. Translated and adapted from the original 19th century capsule of centuries of oral tradition by Brian R. Johnson, the production is a fast-paced and fun exploration of iconic tales featuring the wicked Baba Yaga, the Brave Youth, and the resourceful and lovely Vasilisa. Featuring a tight ensemble of MSC veterans Evy Gildrie-Voyles, Rhiannon Talbot, Christian Neuhaus, Jon Rowe, Malcolm McCanles, and Ian Hughes, joined by newcomer Kellie Morin. The production is directed by Johnson, a bona fide scholar of these literary traditions who uses the moniker "Boris Borisovich" as a tongue-in-cheek alias when teaching these works.

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Shakespeare's August Lovers brings the romance and longing of MSC's winter programming for the first time to Middleton's Stone Horse Green, a contemporary outdoor stage in a revitalized downtown neighborhood. Key moments from plays including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merry Wives of Windsor, along with the French masterpiece Cyrano de Bergerac, will be presented, Thursday August 20 only.

The Romeo and Juliet Balcony Battle marks MSC's seventh season at Lake Mills' expansive and gorgeous beer garden at Tyranena Brewing Company. Pairing iconic Shakespeare scenes from Romeo and Juliet as well as romantic comedies such as Midsummer, Much Ado, and Merry Wives with a collection of audience participation games including the chance to become an "Instant Juliet" and decide the fate of four aspiring Romeos, this theatrical event puts an emphatic, ecstatic period on our extensive summer programming, Saturday and Sunday August 22-23.

Madison Shakespeare Company has produced engaging and accessible classic theater in south-central Wisconsin since 2012. See https://madisonshakespeare.org for further details.