Houston Shakespeare Festival Returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre for 2025 Season
University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance Presents “Henry V,” “As You Like It”
The Houston Shakespeare Festival, produced by the University of Houston, returns to the iconic Miller Outdoor Theatre this summer with performances of the bard’s classics “Henry V” and “As You Like It.”
Nearly 20,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which runs July 31-Aug. 9, and features professional performers, directors, designers and technical staff working alongside a select group of UH students from the School of Theatre & Dance in UH’s Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts.
As the professional arm of the school, the long-running, free festival has often served as a student's first professional credit on their resume.
“The festival is sort of an escalator on students’ way into the profession and a way for Houston to reap the benefits of the investments they made before,” HSF Artistic Director Jack Young said.
Brandon Carter and Molly Wetzel starring as Orlando and Rosalind in "As You Like It" at the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Brandon Carter and Molly Wetzel starring as Orlando and Rosalind in "As You Like It" at the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
“Henry V,” directed by Young, follows the story of a young King Henry of England who evolves into a leader through his quest to conquer the French throne.
Among returning UH alum is Broadway actor Michael Thatcher, who’s taking a six-week hiatus from the New York production of “Wicked” to join the HSF company of performers. Thatcher will take on the title role of King Henry in “Henry V.”
Meanwhile, UH alum Sophia Watt joins HSF for the first time as the director of “As You Like It.” As the award-winning associate artistic director of Rec Room Arts in Houston, Watt is excited to make her directing debut on the Miller stage.
The production features new music by composer John Amar and stars Molly Wetzel, part of UH’s faculty, and Brandon Carter as Rosalind and Orlando, respectively. Carter joins HSF from the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia, where he served as a member of the acting company and its third artistic director.
In “As You Like It,” the lead characters separately enter the Forest of Arden, where they seek refuge and go on a transformational journey.
Both plays emphasize the importance of leadership and love, Young said.
“What we wish to have in our leaders now is a big question, and ‘Henry V’ asks a whole lot of questions about what a leader should do, how should we follow and what do we want?” Young said. “I think that’s a topic worth discussing nowadays, so I’ll be curious to see how that plays on a summer night.”
Houston Will See Him Now
Thatcher is no stranger to the iconic line from “Wicked,” where an Ozian official proclaims, “The Wizard will see you now!” as Elphaba and Glinda prepare to meet Oz’s leader.
In fact, he’s delivered it over 1,000 times during his three-year run in the Broadway production. Since July 2022, he has played this role along with Elphaba’s father, while also understudying for the roles of The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond.
His Broadway debut came in 2018 as an understudy in “The Play That Goes Wrong,” eventually joining the first national tour as an original cast member. Thatcher credits his training at UH, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in 2014 after arriving with a Bachelor of Music, for shaping his career.
Actor Michael Thatcher laughs before a table read of scripts during the first rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre for the 2025 season of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Actor Michael Thatcher laughs before a table read of scripts during the first rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre for the 2025 season of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
“My training here at the University of Houston directly helped me get the success in my career — specifically the sense of collaboration and ensemble-building,” he said.
Now, Thatcher prepares for his first stint at HSF, calling it an “artistic vacation” from his ongoing “Wicked” contract. He’ll play the title role in “Henry V” — a longtime dream role.
“It was the right person, right time,” Young said of Thatcher.
Leading up to his Miller premiere, Thatcher and other professionals have shared their experiences with undergraduates, one of the festival’s unique offerings.
“I learned more from watching veteran actors work in a rehearsal room than I probably ever learned in a classroom,” Thatcher said.
As for what’s next, Thatcher hopes to appear in a new Broadway production, be part of Shakespeare productions on Broadway or perhaps play King George in “Hamilton.”
“I will happily stay at ‘Wicked’ as long as they will have me, but I'm also curious and looking for that next fun project to take me out of Oz,” he said.
Heading To The Big Stage
Artistic Director Jack Young and Director Sophia Watt talk about the upcoming season of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Artistic Director Jack Young and Director Sophia Watt talk about the upcoming season of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Houston Shakespeare Festival Director Sophia Watt at the Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston before the start of the 2025 season.
Houston Shakespeare Festival Director Sophia Watt at the Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston before the start of the 2025 season.
Each year for HSF, Young selects from a rotating repertoire of Shakespeare’s shows. What helps keep each production fresh, he said, is the director’s unique vision.
“It’s always a fun thing to go, ‘It’s time to do ‘As You Like It’ again, but what’s our particular opportunity with it this time?’” Young said.
Enter stage right: Watt, a UH alum who is directing “As You Like It,” last at HSF in 2019. Her adaptation will feature original musical compositions from Amar, a Houston native. Shakespeare wrote lyrics for four songs in “As You Like It,” but new melodies will create moments of music throughout the characters’ fairytale-esque journey.
“Anything that you will hear in the play has been composed for this production,” Watt said. “The lyrics are Shakespeare's; the music is our all our own.”
This marks Watt’s debut at Miller Outdoor Theatre, shifting from Rec Room Arts’ intimate, less than 100-seat space to a stage that draws thousands nightly.
“At Rec Room, we tend to tell big stories in an intimate space,” she said. “It's a spot where you see someone right out of undergrad on stage with a resident company member from the Alley Theatre. It's a real mixing place of artists, and I think that creates kind of an electric energy.”
That collaborative spirit continues at HSF, and Watt is energized by the chance to make Shakespeare’s work accessible for new audiences.
“HSF can be a lot of people’s first interaction with Shakespeare,” she said. “How does the image we present make the story understandable and enjoyable?”
After the season, Watt, a 2018 MFA graduate, plans to return to UH to teach directing, having previously taught at UH and Rice University.
Watt works with actors during “Heroes Of The Fourth Turning” at Rec Room Arts in fall 2023. (Credit Natasha Nivan)
Watt works with actors during “Heroes Of The Fourth Turning” at Rec Room Arts in fall 2023. (Credit Natasha Nivan)
Behind-the-Scenes Secrets
Helping bring a director’s vision to life is the crew.
Signs of a well-managed show include in-sync operations and seamless transitions, said assistant stage manager Joseph Blanchard, a recent stage management graduate in his fourth HSF.
“Stage managers make sure the show is able to roll along flawlessly,” he said. “We make sure the show is breathing as one unit and that all the different elements of the show — lighting, sound, scenery and props and costumes — are coming together in the best way for the production.”
When HSF debuts its 51st season July 31, the magic of live theater will be on display — even if much of it remains invisible to audiences.
About 200 costume pieces — all tracked and accounted for by Blanchard and other stage managers — will transform the 12-person cast of “Henry V” into soldiers.
Costumes are crafted in the weeks leading up to the show. Third-year HSF crew member Madeline Schatzke, a rising production senior in costume technology, serves as “firsthand,” cutting fabric for designs like King Henry’s asymmetrical, color-blocked vest.
Luna Stein, a rising production sophomore and first-year crew member, painted towering trees for the Forest of Arden in “As You Like It.” Stein also helped build the raked stage — a sloped wooden platform that ensures actor visibility for audience members on Miller’s expansive hill.
During rehearsals at Miller, some crew members work alongside union crew to gain hands-on, practical skills.
“Every summer, my skills grow exponentially, and I come back so much stronger as a student,” Schatzke said.
In turn, the UH students from HSF share what they learn with others.
“The big blessing HSF is for the department is being able to take that expertise to our student shows,” Blanchard said.
Stage Manager Joseph Blanchard works in the rehearsal room at a Houston Shakespeare Festival rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre.
Stage Manager Joseph Blanchard works in the rehearsal room at a Houston Shakespeare Festival rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre.
Maddie Schatzke works in the costume shop at a Houston Shakespeare Festival rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre.
Maddie Schatzke works in the costume shop at a Houston Shakespeare Festival rehearsal at the Wortham Theatre.
Luna Stein works in the scenic shop at the Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston to prepare designs for the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Luna Stein works in the scenic shop at the Wortham Theatre at the University of Houston to prepare designs for the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Performance Details
“Henry V” - July 31 and Aug. 2, 4, 6 and 8
Performance begins at 8:15 p.m., Bard Talk begins at 7:45 p.m. with Young and Executive Director Sharon Ott
“As You Like It” - Aug. 1, 5, 7 and 9
Performance begins at 8:15 p.m., Bard Talk begins at 7:45 p.m. with Ott
Location: Hermann Park’s Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston
Cost: Tickets are free, but covered seating can be reserved starting at 10 a.m. the day before the performance
A livestream of the performances is available on Miller Outdoor Theatre’s website, YouTube and Facebook.
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