King Lear (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival)

August 19 - 31, 2025

Shakespeare at Notre Dame

As an aging king seeks to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, the forces of jealousy, blindness, and madness threaten his reign — and the future of not just his country, but his family. Shakespeare's King Lear is one of the playwright's greatest creations: a powerful tale of loss, memory, insanity, and the importance of love.

King Lear is brought to life by the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival's Professional Company for the very first time, under the direction of Pirronne Yousefzadeh, a director, writer, and educator whose work has been produced by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Playmakers Repertory Company, the Kennedy Center, and many others.

"The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival has spent the past 25 years serving audiences from all around the world," notes Scott Jackson, Mary Irene Ryan Family Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at Notre Dame. "But its most important work is done right here at home in Michiana. Our programs have impacted students of all ages and have provided the opportunity for aspiring theatrical artists to work alongside professionals to create exciting and impactful theatrical productions. We've spent decades creating opportunities not just for our collaborators, but our larger community as well, and we're dedicated to the work of fusing the social justice mission of the University of Notre Dame into the practice of responsible and impactful theatre."

Event includes mature or adult content.