Utah Shakespeare Festival will run June 24 to Oct. 19

Four Shakespearean classics, two hit musicals, an American stage favorite about justice and a regional premiere of a new play are all scheduled as part of the 2013 season at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

The festival’s 2013 season, its 52nd, will run from June 24 to Oct. 19. Tickets are on sale at the ticket office windows at the festival, by calling 800-752-9849 or by visiting www.bard.org.

“Shakespeare is our cornerstone playwright, and we are excited for the next phase in our Complete the Canon campaign,” Artistic Director David Ivers said.

Starting in 2012, the festival is committed to produce Shakespeare’s entire canon of work over a period of 12 years, including completing his entire cycle of history plays in sequential order.

With that in mind, the festival will present the first in that history cycle, “King John” in the world-famous outdoor Adams Shakespearean Theatre. Also in the Adams Theatre will be Shakespeare’s epic masterpiece “The Tempest” and the frothy romance “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” These three plays will run from June 24 to Aug. 31.

“In addition to featuring works by the Bard, we will return to producing two musicals in the season,” Ivers said. Featured in the Randall L. Jones Theatre from June 24 to Aug. 31 will be Cole Porter’s high-energy musical “Anything Goes.” During the late season, Sept. 18 to Oct. 19, guests can enjoy favorite songs from the ’50s and ’60s in Roger Bean’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”

Also in the Randall L. Jones Theatre will be the American theater classic “Twelve Angry Men” from June 24 to Aug. 31 and the second in Shakespeare’s history cycle, “Richard II,” from Sept. 18 to Oct. 19.

The final 2013 production will be a regional premiere of the winner of five 2012 Tony Awards, “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. “Peter and the Starcatcher” promises to be a thrilling, imaginative, theatrical experience about Peter Pan, the boy who never grew, and all the memorable characters he encounters on his journey to Neverland. “Peter and the Starcatcher” will run all season from June 24 to Oct. 19 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.