About the festival
Established in 2004, the Shakespeare in Queens Park Festival (now known as the Shakespeare in the Park Festival) is an annual event which brings together the University of Southern Queensland and the greater community, and showcases some of Australia's finest emerging talent. Held in the magnificent Queens Park during Autumn, the Festival is one of Toowoomba's premier events offering residents and visitors a unique Shakespearean experience.
Attracting in excess of 30 000 theatre-goers since its inception, the Festival continues to grow each year. Each annual program features a mainstage production along with a selection of associated events such as School Workshops, which over the years, have engaged thousands of young theatre enthusiasts from secondary and primary schools.
In 2007, the Festival introduced a touring element, seeing the mainstage production of Macbeth and the School Workshops toured to Fraser Coast for a four-day season at Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay. The tour extended even further in 2009 to include a three-day season of The Tempest at the University's Springfield campus.
Past mainstage productions
2004 Hamlet
2005 Taming of the Shrew
2006 The Comedy of Errors
2007 Macbeth
2008 Romeo & Juliet
2009 The Tempest
Festival organisation
The Festival is produced by USQ Artsworx and runs under the SiTP Festival Management Team:
Mission statement
The SiTP Festival aims to be recognised nationally as a key Australian regional arts event, characterised by excellence in all facets of its operation. It aims to be a major contributor to the regional cultural tourism industry and a leading facilitator in the education and presentation of the performing arts.