Written by Sean Riedel ('19, '21 M.J.)

Before studying abroad in London this spring, UNT theatre senior Serenity Ferguson wasn't much of a Shakespeare fan.

Then she attended a performance of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, built near the location of the original, where the playwright's works first captivated audiences centuries ago.

"I will never be able to forget it," Ferguson says. “The spirit of theatre was coursing through my veins as we watched. It was such a beautiful experience and from there I really gained a love and respect for Shakespeare.”

Beginning next summer, UNT students will have the opportunity to experience that same kind of artistic transformation closer to home through UNTangled Shakespeare, a new high-caliber annual festival designed to connect classroom learning with professional theatre practice.

“The festival will allow our students to work with professionals in every area,” says Nathan Autrey, a lecturer in directing and acting at UNT. “As an actor and as a student, you’re getting to know the inside approach to how professionals handle a real rehearsal setting. These are experiences that they've never had before. UNTangled will give them that.”

Autrey and Sarah Rutan, a lecturer of acting and Shakespeare at UNT, are some of the faculty leading the charge. With all of the excitement heading into the festival’s launch, there have also been challenges.

While other similar university-based Shakespeare festivals have been funded by the universities themselves, UNTangled will rely on the generosity of independent donors to ensure the festival’s inaugural 2027 season reaches its intended scale and impact.

“If we are successful and we get to a place where we sell at least half of our tickets for our first season, it will be sustainable and we'll be able to live to season two,” Autrey says. “And then hopefully that grows and more and more people know about us.”

Funding allows the festival to bring professional guest artists to work directly with students, create meaningful mentorship opportunities and produce two summer Shakespeare productions that serve community audiences while providing immersive educational experiences for emerging theatre artists.

Now, with the inaugural festival on the horizon, UNT theatre students like Ferguson are eager to be part of the productions.

“Excitement is not the word. Truly, it’s elation,” she says. “UNTangled provides us professional credits while learning from professional actors. It just truly opens up the floodgates to the possibilities of acting, and just it gives us a credit that we will not be able to get anywhere else in DFW.”

Landry Wood, a UNT senior studying theatre, knows that the long-term ramifications of UNTangled Shakespeare will be felt throughout the region.

“The festival would have a huge impact,” she says. “We learn how professionals work, we learn how professional theaters operate, while also gaining rapport with professionals. It is also continuing and fostering a love for Shakespeare and continuing the culture while showing off how incredible UNT theatre and its students are.”

Beyond creating artistic opportunities, Autrey says the festival helps students develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

“People that make art do it because they have a love for it and a love to share it,” Autrey says. “By making a gift, donors are helping support students’ ability to study this craft and, whatever it is they do with their life, be strong collaborators and well-connected human beings who understand who they are and have empathy for others, which makes them great leaders.”

UNT theatre and psychology student Xavier Richmond looks forward to the increased opportunity to hone his skills while connecting audiences to art.  

“I think a lot of people in theatre are always seeking opportunities, and they become so few and far between,” Richmond says. “Having additional shows allows for actors, set designers and costumers to gain more experience and creates a new audience who may be interested in theatre. Every show helps create more opportunities, and then more art. And we always want to create more art.”

And that is exactly what makes UNTangled Shakespeare such an enticing endeavor. The festival is more than a celebration of Shakespeare, more than a showcase for artists. It is an opportunity to use art as a foundation for connection.

 “Humans created art to live and to love and to have fun and to enjoy the human experience,” Ferguson says. “Art is the human experience, and supporting UNTangled would provide endless opportunities for so many students to get out there and to feel emboldened by their art, to feel confident in their abilities and in their art form, so they can continue to share this beautiful art form everywhere they go.”

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