CEDAR CITY, Utah — Major changes and exciting plays are in the plans for the Utah Shakespearean Festival’s 2008 season. The season calendar is changing dramatically, a new pricing structure has been set, and nine exhilarating plays are planned for the Festival stages.

The most noticeable change for most patrons will be the change in the way plays rotate through the season. “Previously, every week was the same throughout the season,” said Communications Director Bruce C. Lee. “For instance, last year Hamlet played every Wednesday and Saturday evening. So, playgoers who could only be at the Festival on, say, a Tuesday or Friday evening, could not see that popular production. So, this year, we have changed the rotation each week.”

This means that, if you can only attend the Festival one particular day each week, you can see all the plays during the course of the summer. Of, course, if you still want to see all six plays in three days, that option is also available. In addition, for those who take in all six plays, a new discount called “Subscriber Six Pack” offers $3 off each ticket when a playgoer buys tickets for all six shows; the shows can be in any seating section, any day throughout the summer season.

“This is a request that our patrons have been making for some time,” said Festival Director R. Scott Phillips. “With this change in calendaring, it made sense for us to implement this subscription discount as well.”

Also changing is the addition of more matinees in the Auditorium Theatre in the summer. Two plays, instead of the traditional one, will now allow patrons more choices, as will additional days with matinees (Tuesdays and Fridays, in addition to the normal Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Another noticeable difference will be in pricing for 2008 tickets. “We are doing everything we can to keep prices affordable for everyone. We are very aware of our loyal patrons and families,” said Lee. “With that in mind, we have instituted a new price option called ‘Premier Seating.’ Prices in basically the first few rows of the orchestra sections are priced an additional $10 per seat. However, because of this increase, we have been able to keep all other increases to a minimum.”

Included in the “Premier Seating” will be additional perks including complimentary bottled water, a lap blanket in the Randall L. Jones Theatre or a seat cushion in the Adams Theatre, and early seating privileges.

“Again, this is something our patrons have requested,” said Phillips. “Some are willing to pay for these seats and extra comforts, so it is a great way to increase revenue without affecting the bulk of our audiences. There are still plenty of great seats left just four or five rows back.”

“But the most exciting news,” said Lee “is our slate of plays we are planning for 2008. They are nine plays which fulfill our mission of entertaining, enriching, and educating—and will be very popular and artistically interesting to our patrons.”

The summer season will be June 19 to August 30, 2008. Featured in the Adams Shakespearean Theatre will be two Shakespearean plays, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “Othello,” as well as a great romantic comedy which fits perfectly into the outdoor Adams Theatre, Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac.” The Randall L. Jones Theatre 2008 summer plays will be the ever-popular musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” Moliere’s classic farce “The School for Wives,” and Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” which will get a bold, new twist in the indoor theatre.

The fall season will continue September 19 through October 25, 2008 with three plays in the Randall Theatre: Shakespeare’s political tragedy “Julius Caesar,” the famous melodrama mystery “Gaslight,” and a comedy based around the writing of the screenplay for “Gone with the Wind,” “Moonlight and Magnolias.”

Tickets for the 2008 season go on sale June 21, 2007. You can get your tickets by calling 800-PLAYTIX or by going online to bard.org.

“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is a free-spirited and engaging comedy for anyone who has ever been in love. This youthful indulgence is replete with love-smitten (and confused!) men, cunning (and disguised!) maidens, and the most likeable and ill-mannered canine ever to grace the stage. Valentine and Proteus, the two gents in question, prove that Romeo is not the only lad in Verona to feel the raptures of love!

“Othello” is a play brimming with passion and anguish, as well as very human tenderness. This powerful and tragic story will lead you to the edge of Iago’s shadowy world. There, you will see evil and betrayal as they slowly master Othello until he loses everything—his young and beautiful wife, his own life, and his very soul.

The plot of the Bard’s hilarious “The Taming of the Shrew” is well known by now. Petruchio has come to Padua wife-hunting, and the object of his eye is none other than Katherina, also known as Kate the Curst—whom he vows to tame. Thus begins one of Shakespeare’s most popular romantic farces; and the clash of an (almost) irresistible force with a (nearly) immovable object produces explosive (and madcap) results in this bold and fresh look at the battle of the sexes.

What would a Festival season be without a great musical? Is there anyone who doesn’t love Tevye and “Fiddler on the Roof”? Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein have created one of the most beloved plays in history. This musical has touched audiences for nearly fifty years with its humor, passion, warmth, and honesty. Tevye, his family, and the good people of Anatevka now come to the Festival stage, along with some of the world’s most memorable music: “Tradition,” “If I were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and many others.

Edmond Rostand’s beloved play “Cyrano de Bergerac” features an expert swordsman, eloquent poet, and eligible bachelor who shies away from wooing Roxanne because his overly-large nose masks the beauty of his soul. Instead, he helps his bumbling young friend, Christian, to court her by writing entrancing poetry for the young man to recite. This timeless love story will inspire your emotions as these three characters (and you) discover the soul beneath the words and the heart behind the bravado.

For a touch of the French classics, Moliere’s “The School for Wives” fills the bill admirably. Arnolphe has trained Agnes to be his wife, teaching her only to sew, pray, and serve him. But as their wedding approaches, his plan goes ridiculously awry. Agnes is so innocent she doesn’t know better than to fall in love—with someone else. A frothy, hilarious take on love and marriage, this classic farce will tickle every funny bone in your body!

The noble Brutus finds himself on the horns of a dilemma, in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Is he being swayed by the self-serving plots of political opportunists, or does Caesar, the man who has loved him as a son, really intend to see himself crowned an emperor? The heavens are troubled, nightmares portent war, and an air of impending doom pervades the Roman state.

“Gaslight” is a classic murder mystery, a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat melodrama. While Jack is out on the town each evening, his wife, Bella, stays home alone. Believing she’s losing her mind, she can’t explain the disappearance of familiar objects, the mysterious footsteps overhead, or the ghostly flickering of living room gaslights whenever her husband is gone. This suspenseful and taut thriller will surprise you and have you holding your breath at every creaking floor and every flickering lamp.

“Moonlight and Magnolias” is a hilarious new farce wherein movie mogul David O. Selznick has hired writer Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming to write the screenplay for “Gone with the Wind.” Locked in Selznick’s office, living on peanuts and bananas, the men turn their world upside down as they eventually give birth to one of the most beloved films of all time. Now if Hecht had only read the novel.

“It’s never too early to plan your time at the Utah Shakespearean Festival,” concluded Lee. “We think the changes we have made will make your stay here even more to your liking—and I know you’ll love our plays.”