Shakespeare, Addams Family on stage in Williston, Hyde Park this month
June 8, 2026 | By Waterbury RoundaboutLocal theater-goers will find two new productions on stage this month as Vermont Repertory Theatre presents “Shakespeare In Love” in Williston June 11-20, and the Lamoille County Players opens “The Addams Family” in Hyde Park on June 19.
Shakespeare in Love
The cast and crew of the Shakespeare show say they are transforming The Isham Barn Theatre in Williston into an immersive Elizabethan-period experience with a partial reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Vermont Repertory Theatre is a non-profit community theater organization based in Williston and performing at the Isham Farm, a working family farm on Oak Hill Road.
Directed by Michael Fidler with a cast of 21, the show opens this Thursday, June 11, and runs through June 20 with 10 performances. The production promises “sumptuous costumes, comedy, tragedy, romance -- and a bit with a dog.”
“Shakespeare in Love” is the stage adaptation of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s Academy Award-winning 1998 film, created by Lee Hall.
The story follows a young William Shakespeare, mired in writer’s block and contractually on the hook for a comedy called “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter.” Along the way, the playwright falls for Viola de Lesseps, a daring noblewoman who defies the era’s ban on women performers by disguising herself as a man to audition for his play.
“The comedy becomes a tragedy. The tragedy becomes a masterpiece. And the result is the play we know as ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” the Vermont Repertory announcement describes.
Two lead actors in the show, Connor Kendall and Merrill Cameron, who play Shakespeare and de Lesseps, are a real-life couple who met through theatre.
Showtimes: Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Weekend matinees are at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $30 for general admission; $25 for seniors; $20 for students. Find more details and advance tickets online at vermontrep.com.
The Addams Family Musical
Jayce Gann of Hardwick as Pugsley and Morgan Sargent of Johnson playing Wednesday discuss Wednesday's new boyfriend. Photo by Patricia Jacob
Cast members Brian Cococcia from Elmore, Meredith Roberts from Fairfax, and Jacob Dow of Eden, at the annual Addams Family reunion - living, dead, and undecided. Photo by Patricia Jacob
The Lamoille County Players' 74th season continues with “The Addams Family Musical,” June 19-21 and 26-28, at the Hyde Park Opera House.
Pianist Carol Spradling of Williston and Music Director Kenny Grenier of Eden rehearse the 'Addams Family' opening number with the full cast. Photo by Selena-Mae French
The popular musical comedy revolves around the storyline where Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a young man her parents have never met. She swears her father, Gomez Addams, to secrecy to hide the romance from his wife and her mother, Morticia. Hilarity ensues as the Addams Family hosts a dinner party for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
“With great songs and dances, ‘The Addams Family Musical’ is a wonderful show to celebrate the importance of family and the beauty of change,” observes Co-Director Julia Frohn.
Co-Director Patty Jacob adds, “I love working with this multi-age cast and seeing everyone work together to put on a great show.”
Showtimes: Evening shows are at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.
Tickets ($15-$20) are available online in advance at LCPlayers.com or at the door.