Mission

Shakespeare in Albuquerque

Meet the Team

The New Mexico Shakespeare Festival presents Shakespeare’s plays, free to the public, in a beautiful outdoor setting, and creates educational and other outreach programs designed to bring the pleasure of Shakespearean performance to as wide an audience as possible. We believe that the Shakespeare’s plays belong to the community, and in the community. We seek to use these great plays to build a sense community among the diverse elements of our audience, and between them and the professional artists in our company. 

The New Mexico Shakespeare Festival presented by the Vortex Theatre and the City of Albuquerque is one of only 14 free Shakespeare festivals in the nation. We believe a great city produces great theatre, and that there is no better venue for that than the beautiful Veterans Memorial Park where we perform, and the plays of William Shakespeare as acted by our company of professionals.  Check out our lineup and be a part of a creative and dynamic city. 

Hamlet is directed by Peter Shea Kierst, and Twelfth Night is directed by Ana Maria Campoy of Seattle. Artistic Director Kierst said, “Having previously appeared in and directed Hamlet, I’m pleased and excited to bring it to our festival audiences. The addition of Ms. Campoy to our team this summer will enable us to create a Twelfth Night that really speaks to our New Mexico patrons.”
Find out more

Congratulations to the following actors who have been cast in this season's New Mexico Shakespeare Festival:

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The Cast of Hamlet

Gertrude, Queen of Denmark   Augusta Allen-Jones
Ensemble   Daniel Paul Anaya
Ensemble   Victoria Apodaca
Ensemble   Alexandra Avila
Guildenstern   Kainon Orion Bachtel
Ensemble   Scott Bing
Claudius, King of Denmark   Chad Brummett
Horatio   Owen Reid Callis
Fortinbras, Prince of Norway   Graydon Clarke
Polonius, Lord Chamberlain   Marc Comstock
Ghost/Player King   Joseph Dallacqua
Gravedigger   Neil Faulconbridge
Lucianus, Ensemble   Caedmon Holland
Ensemble   Justin Holt
Hamlet   Sheridan K. Johnson
Laertes   Nicholas Johnson
Ophelia   Caitlin Kelly
Player   Queen Catalina
Bernardo, Ensemble   John P. Lopez
Rosencrantz   Owen Danan Martin
Marcellus   Stuart Neef
Ensemble   Angelica Rivera

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The Cast of Twelfth Night

Viola   Virginia Benitez-Jones
Lady Olivia   Fabianna Borghese
Sea Captain    Curio Chavez
Feste   Ed Chavez
Malvolio   Debi Kierst
Duke Orsino   Allison Letterman
Fernanda, Musician   Joy "Jess" Liesveld
Sir Toby Belch   Elizabeth Olton
Sir Andrew Aguecheek   Kellen Paine
Antonio   Anastasia Price
Priest, Musician   John Rollinger
Maria   Abigail Ropp
Curio, Officer Two, Musician   Jayce Ross
Valentine, Musician   Jonathan Salazar
Sebastian   Pete J. Sheldon
Officer One, Musician   Andrea Zamora