JACKSON, Wyo. — Every summer, Thin Air Shakespeare audience members pack their picnic baskets, collect their friends, and enjoy a free, professional Shakespeare production on the lawn at the Center for the Arts.
In 2026, this beloved Jackson tradition is getting a little twist — Off Square Theatre will present the first Thin Air Shakespeare musical with Broadway’s Something Rotten!
Catch the show from July 10 through 12 and again from July 16 through 19 on the Center Lawn at 7:30 p.m. Bring a picnic! ASL interpreters will be present for the July 10 show.
“Welcome to the Renaissance” and come enjoy an outrageous, crowd-pleasing farce. Created by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick and successful screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten! was lauded by audience members and critics alike. When it premiered on Broadway, Something Rotten! received several Best Musical nominations and was hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years.”
In London of 1595, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of William Shakespeare — that pesky Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self … and all that jazz.
“We are thrilled to expand the Thin Air Shakespeare mission of bringing free, professional theater to our community to include a musical – and one set in the Renaissance, no less!” said Off Square Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, Natalia Duncan Macker. “This joyful, farcical show will feature live music, incredible voices, and even tap dancing, all with a nod to the Bard and a celebration of America’s musical theater legacy.”
Thin Air Shakespeare is designed for all ages and presented free of charge in the amphitheater at Center for the Arts, breaking down the traditional barriers to professional theater and focusing on opportunities for the intergenerational experience of live performance. Audiences should bring their own blankets and picnics to the lawn. Enjoyable for audiences of all ages with some bawdy Renaissance humor and innuendo.
While it’s free to attend, Thin Air Shakespeare is far from free to produce and attendees are encouraged to donate what they can in lieu of purchasing a ticket. All audience donations will be multiplied by Off Square’s anonymous Audience Challenge Match.
Thin Air Shakespeare is made possible with support from the Shubert Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Wyoming Arts Council, and the Madame X Society. Special thanks to Producing Partner Center for the Arts for their support and collaboration.
Run time approximately 120 minutes with a 10-minute intermission.
Please contact info@offsquare.org to request accommodation details.
