Ogden Shakespeare Festival began in 2009 as Beehive Theatre Company in Ogden with a small group of devoted Shakespeare devotees. Our vision was to cultivate classical theater and eventually establish a Shakespeare Festival in Ogden. Today, we are established as Ogden Shakespeare Festival, a 501(c)(3) year-round theater company dedicated to our community. 

Our mission is simple yet powerful: to empower our vibrant and diverse community by creating a legacy of accessible, joyous, and thought-provoking theatrical experiences. We aim to preserve and promote classical works while celebrating the voices of new participants.

Why do we need a Shakespeare Company/Festival in Ogden? Ogden is already a destination city for skiing, high adventure sports, great dining, the arts, and culture. Adding a Shakespeare festival to our already thriving arts scene will offer Shakespeare and classical theatre to our community AND attract festival-goers around the country, opening the door for new audiences and Ogden devotees!

What are we doing? What kinds of productions and events will we produce? We plan to offer at least one fully produced Shakespeare play each summer to the Ogden Outdoor Ampitheater. In addition, we plan to produce other classical theatre works in venues across Ogden throughout the year. Finally, we will offer classical theatre training courses year-round through our Arden Academy.

Who is behind the scenes? In 2009 Jennifer Hughes, along with several other local artists, forged a path toward bringing more Shakespeare to Ogden. Though the seed took time to grow, the ideas planted then have taken root and are growing into their fullest expression as Ogden Shakespeare Festival. We are excited to see the fruits to come!

How will we do all of this? What’s our plan? We will partner with great Ogden leaders and businesses to discover how we can best serve our community through Shakespeare and classical theatre performances and education. We will work with existing theatre companies in Ogden to ensure we are complementing, not competing with, the programs and schedules already serving our community so beautifully.

Founders are Jennifer Hughes, President; Holly MacDougall, Secretary; Genine Steed, Treasurer.