ISF presents solo play, improv comedy
Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026
The Island Shakespeare Festival is expanding its offerings later this month with two special productions that put fresh spins on the works of William Shakespeare.
The first is “King John: A Solo Performance,” a streamlined, 65- to 70-minute adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s rarely staged history plays. Presented by The Giddy Round, the production will be performed at 1 p.m. Aug. 14 and 15 and 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Island Shakespeare Festival.
The play follows Prince John after the events of “Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest,” which is also on the festival stage this summer. Shakespeare’s history explores John’s troubled reign through political ambition, shifting alliances and the human cost of the struggle for power while also offering moments of humor, heartbreak and humanity.
The adaptation is an international collaboration between Macedonian director Damjan Dimovski and U.S.-based actor and adapter Matthew Windham. Designed as a solo performance, it focuses on the play’s central narrative while preserving the essence of one of Shakespeare’s most politically charged works.
The festival will also host “Sound & Fury Shakespeare Improv,” a fully improvised Shakespearean comedy presented by Whidbey Improv and OutCast Productions. Performances begin at 1 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 22 and 29 and Sept. 5 at the Island Shakespeare Festival Outdoor Stage, 5476 Maxwelton Road in Langley.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s world, each performance creates a brand-new play on the spot, blending Elizabethan language and style with contemporary comedy. Audiences can expect sword fights, “thee’s” and “thou’s” and plenty of theatrical mayhem in a lighthearted tribute to the Bard.
Admission to “Sound & Fury Shakespeare Improv” is pay what you will, and walk-up seating is available.
