Productions from Italy, Denmark, California, the Czech Republic, Norway, Ukraine and Poland can be seen within the framework of the 26^th International Shakespeare Festival. The motto of this year’s festival is a reference to three, widely different, foreign productions of “The tempest”, which will be guests of the festival and to the tempests currently raging around the world today – political, pandemic, climatic and those connected with the human condition. It also refers to the title of the book by Professor Jerzy Limon “Between Heaven and the Stage” published in 2002.

Festival guests will see productions from abroad as a part of an internationla programme, as well as 5 best Polish Shakespearean adaptations of the season (Finalists of the Golden Yorick Competition) and well as the finalists of ShakespeareOFF Competinion and numerous accompanying events.

The Gdansk Shakespeare Festival is an international event presenting the best Shakespearean performances from all over the world. There were over 230 theatre groups presented at the festival, by renown European theatre directors like: Luk Perceval, László Bocsárdi, Elizabeth LeCompte, Robert Sturua, Silviu Purcarete, Edward Hall, Giuseppe Dipasquale and more.

During 25 editions there were productions from over 40 countries represented during the festival, including Great Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Kuba, Denmark, Italy, Bielorussia, Hungary, Armenia, Iceland, Israel, Iran, South Korea, USA, Japan, Spain, Georgia, Finland, Sweden, Macedonia, Czechia, Romania and Zimbabwe.

The event is accompanied by the national competition for the Best Polish Shakespeare Production with the Golden Yorick as the main prize as well as ShakespeareOFF competition for independent artists and theatre groups. Performances are accompanied by workshops, Q&A meeting, open rehearsals and debates which form an aducational programme entitled Brainstorm.