The summer regional theatre festival landscape, taking the upcoming season's announced programmes as a whole, continues to support some of the most ambitious American theatrical work happening anywhere in the country. The strength is quiet relative to the New York-centred theatrical conversation; it is real on the work the festivals are producing.

The festivals to watch

The festivals worth watching this summer include the established programs in Williamstown, Spoleto USA, Oregon Shakespeare, and Berkeley Rep, alongside several less-established festivals whose programmes have been building consistent reputations across recent seasons.

What the festivals offer

What the festivals offer that the broader Broadway and off-Broadway calendar cannot consistently provide is the chance to see plays staged for the kind of duration that allows artistic risk to be managed responsibly. New plays can be developed at festival pace; revivals can be staged with the kind of extended rehearsal that the more commercial venues cannot afford.

Where to travel

For audiences willing to travel, the festivals are increasingly accessible. The presenting venues have, over the past several seasons, improved their accommodation partnerships, their ticketing infrastructure, and their relationships with the surrounding communities in ways that make destination theatre-going easier than it was a decade ago.

What to plan

The practical advice is to choose one festival and to commit to a long weekend rather than to spread attempts across multiple festivals. The deeper engagement with a single festival's programme produces more durable theatrical experience than the broader sampling alternative.