The Little Shakespeare Festival

Aug 6 - 23, 2026

Welcome to The Little Shakespeare Festival at Frigid New York! This festival is a celebration of independent theater and performance that takes inspiration from the immortal bard, William Shakespeare. Each year, companies are offered a different theme or idea to help guide their work. The 2026 festival’s theme is “ShakesPUNK” Like it or not, Shakespearean theatre has become part of the establishment: easy, predictable, and safe. But we don’t think that’s how Shakespeare should be. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here for Shakespeare that challenges, that shocks, that’s loud and grimy and angry. That’s punk! That’s ShakesPUNK. We’re challenging the Shakespearean status quo with the punkest, weirdest, queerest, angriest Shakespeare-adjacent theater you’ve ever seen! Remember that being punk is about being unapologetically you, and speaking out against the injustice in the world around us Join our community and remember that Shakespeare doesn’t just live on when performed in giant, open air amphitheaters or big, Broadway houses; he also lives in these most humble of places, where I think he would have felt quite at home. Here, with you and me, at The Little Shakespeare Festival. Little Shakespeare is curated by artist and educator Conor Mullen of As You Will and runs from August 6th through 23rd.