CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Bard might have raised his eyebrows to his hairline if someone had told him that one day his works would be recreated in an obscure little town surrounded by mule deer, sagebrush and barren mountains.

Ah, but 'tis true.

Shakespeare is the most important figure for this Iron County town of about 6,000 in the rough-and-tumble land of Southwest Utah.

Cedar City is not exactly Stratford-on-Avon but the town becomes a noted cultural center each summer when more than 160,000 people stream in from all across the country to see Shakespeare plays come to life in three theaters.

The Shakespeare season here has become so vibrant the Utah Shakespeare Festival productions won the 2000 national Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater at ceremonies in New York City.

Many Cedar Citians say its about time.

The local festival has been producing crowd-pleasing Shakespeare works for 40 years, ever since Fred Adams and his wife (Barbara) thought up the idea of putting on such plays while sitting around the Fluffy Bundle Laundromat in this dusty little town in 1961.

"We are not just some country-bumpkin actors here," said Donna Law, marketing director for the festival. "We take this all very seriously. We have an equity company of 16 actors, who are augmented by local talent."

Indeed, more than a dozen of the professional actors here have trod stages all across the world, some having performed for more than 30 years.

The 2001 season begins June 21 and runs through Oct. 30.

Shakespeare works on this year's calendar include Julius Caesar, The Tempest and The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Ah, be not thou fooled. The Bard is not the only master word craftsman whose work is performed here. Reknown playwrights such as Eugene O'Neill (Ah, Wilderness), Joseph Kesselring (Arsenic and Old Lace), Gilbert and Sullivan (The Pirates of Penzance), etc., are also scheduled for the 2001 season.

While all this culture may dominate Greater Cedar City, summer adventure awaits the hearty souls who like to climb steep cliffs, naviagate whitewater rivers, zip across craggy mountains on loud motorbikes, wade trout-laden streams, or hike through glorius canyons (Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks...with Grand Canyon only a few hours away). Bears, elk and mountain lions add an element of danger.

If your taste runs to more sedate surroundings you can tee up a ball at more than a dozen area golf courses, smack tennis balls at dozens of locales or take a 11.5-mile scenic train ride. Or, attend one of more than two dozen special arts, crafts, food and music special events.

On the Internet:

www.bard.org
www.utahsplayground.org
[email protected]
www.parowan.org
www.chambercedarcity.org
www.scenicsouthernutah.com

This story was published on 20 May 2002.