The lawn at Yampa River Botanic Park became a stage Wednesday evening as this year’s Piknik Theatre cast brought William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” to life while preparing for Sunday’s official opener.

For the next three weeks the professional theater company, based in Steamboat Springs, will host performances of the timeless Shakespeare comedy, “Twelfth Night,” as well as an original production, “Fledgling: The Ugly Ducking Retold,” based on H.C. Anderson’s “The Ugly Duckling.”

“We started (Piknik Theatre) in 2008 and the idea was to bring theater to folks who wouldn’t normally be able to afford it, or normally able to see it in this region,” said Stuart Handloff, executive director of Piknik Theatre. “These are professional actors. They are as good as any you’re going to find in Denver and probably even in off-off-Broadway in New York.”

The Piknik Theatre 2025 season will open with a performance of “Fledgling: The Ugly Duckling Retold” at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Yampa River Botanic Park, where most of this year’s performances will take place. The troupe will then alternate performances of “Fledgling” and “Twelfth Night” throughout the summer with performances taking place Sunday through Thursday.

“Fledgling” will be featured in 6 p.m. performances July 20, July 22, July 24 and July 30 at the Yampa River Botanic Park, as well as July 28 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. Once construction of the new Branham Strawberry Park Amphitheatre is completed, the show will move to the new home of Piknik Theatre for shows Aug. 4 and Aug. 6.

Performances of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” will also start at 6 p.m. and are slated for July 21, July 23, July 27, July 29 and July 31 at Yampa River Botanic Park and Aug. 3 at Bud Werner Memorial Library. The comedy will also take center stage at Branham Amphitheatre for shows on Aug. 5 and Aug. 7.

Handloff had hoped construction of the new amphitheater would be complete in time for the 2025 season, but he realized earlier this summer that would not be the case. Handloff now expects the final few performances of the 2025 season will take place on the new stage, with a more formal grand opening taking place in July 2026.  

Handloff said “Fledgling” and “Twelfth Night” will allow the actors to display a range of talents in differing styles of theater.

“Fledgling is going to be something totally new, and it’s going to be more about visuals than the text and word, which I think is exciting,” Handloff said. “I think that’s great for a theater company, to be able to explore a full range of what performance is all about — and I’m glad we’ve got a group that is excited about it.”

The performances are free, but Handloff said donations are welcome. He said the events offer a great way to experience theater and encouraged attendees to bring their lawn chairs and blankets, as well as something to eat.

“The skill level is very high, but the cost and the economic barriers are very low,” Handloff said. “The idea of Piknik Theatre is for people bring their own seats, they bring their own snack, and they get to enjoy this high-quality performance for free.”