David Mamet and William H. Macy performed in Festival Theatre's inaugural production. The year: 1975. The production: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

You may discover us at Lake Street Kitchen + Bar (our partner restaurant) and Poor Phil's (allegedly a John Mahoney hangout) after performances in Austin Garden's. They are both a wee three-minute walk from our performance space in the park. If we are performing in Madison Street Theatre, we like to darken the doorstep (only kidding) of Fat Duck (aka: Duck Fat) Tavern. Do your self a favor and get the duck fat fries! Mmmm…

Accessible by CTA, Metra, bicycle, and car, Oak Park is convenient and terrifically dynamic. Festival Theatre's summer location, Austin Gardens - in the heart of Downtown Oak Park, has its trappings within mere steps. High-end restaurants, local-vore joints, various ethnic cuisines and diners are all within a 5-minute walk. There are markets, bookstores (our favorite: The Book Table), boutiques, consign/resale shops, bakeries, architecture and more! Our fall/winter location, Madison Street Theatre, is a stones-throw from downtown Forest Park, brimming with terrific dining (favorites include Francesca's and Fat Duck.)

We are most known for our outdoor performances. We were founded as a company who performed Shakespeare once, annually in a pastoral setting. Over the years we expanded programming to, for a while, include two outdoor performances (one Shakespeare and one Classic), and have continued to grow. We now produce work year round. You may absolutely continue to find us out-of-doors in the summer, but please seek us out (or subscribe) for our full season of language-driven work. As we were founded in Shakespeare, we hold language most dear.