San Francisco Shakespeare Festival is pleased to announce that its summer 2023 Free Shakespeare in the Park production will be Cymbeline.

Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s epic romantic adventure, is believed to be one of his final plays and is widely considered to be one of his greatest achievements. It features a dazzling mix of comedy, tragedy, and fairy tale that concludes with inventive scenes of revelation and joyous reconciliation. The play was selected by the company’s Resident Artists, who felt that this play’s sweeping story would help remind us of the power of live theater and the joy of coming together to share an epic experience.

In this tale King Cymbeline of Britain has banished Posthumus who has secretly married his daughter, Princess Imogen. A series of unimaginable misadventures ensue that test the strength of their commitment to each other. This will be the company’s second production of Cymbeline, having previously staged it in 2011.

Director Maryssa Wanlass is interested in the fairytale quality of this story, and wants to lean in to the archetypal characters and set the play in an alternate universe fantasy realm. Casting will reflect the many communities for which SF Shakes performs, and the main love story between Imogen and Posthumus will be told with a queer lens. Expect big performances, music, delicious villains and ultimately a family-friendly coming-of-age story.