SAN DIEGO (March 4, 2026) – The Old Globe is pleased to announce Macbeth as this year’s Globe for All Tour production, bringing the beloved tragedy to communities across the region. Commonly known as “The Scottish Play,” this tour will feature a diverse company of artists performing for various economically, geographically, and culturally diverse communities throughout San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. Admission is free. This limited engagement will run for four weeks only, with performances starting on Tuesday, October 27 and running through Saturday, November 21, 2026. A full list of venues, dates, and times will be announced at a later date.
The Old Globe is also hosting a Macbeth community design contest, inviting artists from San Diego and Tijuana to submit bold, family-friendly digital designs in the spirit of the play, and featuring the show's title. All contest participants will receive two complimentary tickets to either Measure for Measure or Much Ado About Nothing, part of The Old Globe’s 2026 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The winning designer will receive a $1,000 prize and have their work featured on posters, t-shirts, and other promotional materials. The artwork contest is now open with submissions open through Friday, May 1, 2026. For contest details and additional information, visit TheOldGlobe.org/GlobeForAll.
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most gripping and beloved plays. Driven by a mysterious prophecy and the fierce ambition of his wife, the noble warrior Macbeth seizes the crown of Scotland in his daring quest for glory. What follows is one of the greatest thrill-rides in world drama, as a marriage and a kingdom are shaken to their core by the forces of desire and destiny. Shakespeare’s electrifying tale of power and consequence brims with witches, omens, and restless spirits—making it a nail-biting theatrical experience for the Halloween season.
“This production will lean into the bold, adventurous pulse of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays,” said Director of Arts Engagement Adena Varner. “It’s one of the greatest thrillers ever written and I’m excited to bring our Globe for All Tour closer to our community partners and families all across San Diego County and Tijuana.”
The full cast and creative team for the Globe for All Tour of Macbeth will be announced at a later date. Bios and photos of all participants can be found at TheOldGlobe.org/Press-Room.
Reservations for the free public performances are not required. Walk-ins are welcome and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and usually available for everyone. For more information, please visit TheOldGlobe.org/GlobeForAll.
Since the inception of the Globe for All Tour in 2014, approximately 16,000 community members have experienced a performance. These tours offer free-of-charge admission to shows in nontheatrical venues such as gymnasiums, cafeterias, shelters, senior centers, refugee community centers, military installations, and correctional facilities, and give audiences an intimate and compelling theatrical experience that fosters a shared sense of connection between performers and audiences. The majority of attendees are experiencing live theatre for the very first time.
Arts Engagement programs are supported by Beth and Richard Brenner, Elizabeth Cushman, Ann Davies, Pamela Farr and Buford Alexander, The Hearst Foundations, Price Philanthropies, Qualcomm, U.S. Bank, and The Donna Van Eekeren Foundation. Additional support is provided by supporters of the Arts Engagement Giving Circle. The Old Globe is funded in part by City of San Diego Cultural Affairs. The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund provides leadership support for The Old Globe’s year-round activities.
If you have a community group or organization that effectively centers and serves a marginalized group in San Diego or Tijuana, and you would like to discuss hosting a performance, please email [email protected].
The Tony Award–winning The Old Globe is one of the country’s leading professional nonprofit regional theatres. Now in its 91st year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community by creating theatre that lives beyond the stage. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 16 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages. The company’s Summer Shakespeare Festival is internationally renowned, and in 2024 the Globe completed the Shakespeare canon with Edelstein’s landmark production Henry 6, which received the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle's 2024 Craig Noel Award for "Outstanding New Play.” More than 250,000 people annually attend Globe productions and participate in the theatre’s artistic and arts engagement programs. Its nationally prominent Arts Engagement Department provides an array of participatory programs that make theatre matter to more people in neighborhoods throughout the region. Humanities programs at the Globe and around the city broaden the community’s understanding of theatre art in all its forms. The Globe also boasts a range of new play development programs with professional and community-based writers, as well as the renowned The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Numerous world premieres—such as 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!—have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.
