Island Shakespeare Festival's Island-wide spring tour is back March 13-April 3, 2026!

Island Shakespeare Festival hits the road again for Shakespeare in a Backpack: Happy Hour Hamlet, a playful, funny and unexpected retelling of Hamlet like you’ve never seen before! Two guards patrolling the grounds of Elsinore Castle meet for an after-shift beverage to compare notes on Shakespeare’s arguably most famous work. Featuring dazzling performances of the seven iconic Hamlet monologues, clever contemporary comedic banter, and even a fight scene, this 50-minute show will delight and inform even the newest theatergoer. The show also integrates themes revealed in ISF’s 2026 Summer Season which includes Macbeth and Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest.

PLEASE NOTE: This event will take place at various venues in Clinton, Langley, Freeland, Coupeville and Oak Harbor.  See dates below for more details. Book in advance or pay-what-you-will at the door. All library events are free to attend. This program is generously sponsored by Puget Sound Energy!

Between March 13-April 3 in Clinton, Langley, Freeland, Coupeville and Oak Harbor, you can see Happy Hour Hamlet at a library, playhouse, pub or wine bar near you! 

Check out the schedule and get pay-what-you-will tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.com/island-shakespeare-festival