COLD SPRING, N.Y.: Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF) has announced their summer 2020 season, featuring a world premiere adaptation.

“At HVSF, it’s all about the interplay between the actors and the audience, and that is especially true of our 2020 season,” artistic director Davis McCallum said in a statement. “Our audiences will be an essential part of the action under the tent next summer.”

The season will begin with Shakespeare’s Richard III, the tale of the ambitious Duke’s ultimate rise to power. McCallum will direct.

Following will be the premiere of Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp’s adaptation of The Venetian Twins, originally by Carlo Goldoni. The Italian comedy features mistaken identities, clowning, and long list siblings. Bayes will direct.

The season will continue with Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. The comedy follows a group of noblemen whose oath of chastity is tested by the arrival of a princess and her ladies. The production will feature original music by Amanda Dehnert and Andre Pluess. Dehnert will direct.

HVSF will also mount a touring production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing geared toward family audiences. The comedy about the chaos and courtship of bantering lovers will be directed by Kholoud Sawaf.

Founded in 1987, HVSF’s mission is to engage the widest possible audience in fresh conversations on Shakespeare’s plays through their open-air and touring productions.