Enchanting production runs Feb. 12 – Mar. 22 

Trinity Repertory Company continues its 62nd Season with The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, directed by Brown/Trinity Rep alum Ben Steinfeld, the co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater. The New York Times dubbed the acclaimed Off-Broadway company “a force to reckon with in the American Theater.” 

“Ben comes from the same lineage of theater training as I do because we’re both Brown/Trinity Rep alumni, but he’s also had a whole other exploration of Shakespeare over the past 20 years,” Trinity Rep resident company member and The Winter’s Tale cast member Rebecca Gibel said. “I just can't wait to start to get our fingers into this through the way that Ben unlocks possibilities through Shakespeare’s words and structure.” 

A freewheeling blend of comedy and tragedy, Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is a journey through jealousy, redemption, and second chances. In a fit of unfounded envy, King Leontes accuses his wife, Hermione, of infidelity, leading to heart-wrenching consequences. Sixteen years later, a kismet romance blossoms, sparking reconciliation in the most magical of circumstances.   

“This play has a lot of portrayals of tremendous bravery and courage in the face of great consequences and injustice...and it turns out that really matters,” director Ben Steinfeld said. “I want people to feel something other than what they feel when they are looking at their phone. Our job is to try to touch people's souls and remind them of something that they either already knew and had forgotten, or introduce them to something new and different. And with The Winter’s Tale, I think we’re going to do both.” 

One of the most famous moments in The Winter’s Tale comes near its end, says Executive Director Katie Liberman, “when a character urges those gathered together to believe in transformation: ‘It is required / You do awake your faith.’ Theatre asks this of us, too: to gather in a shared space, to witness one another, and to believe that art can still move us to mutual compassion and empathy.  Coming to the theater is, in a way, an act of faith in our shared humanity.” 

The Winter's Tale plays Feb. 12 – March 22, 2026. It will run in a rotating repertory with The Roommate by Jen Silverman, which plays Jan. 28 – March 19, 2026. 

THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST 
Ben Steinfeld is an award-winning actor, director, writer, teacher, and co-artistic director of the acclaimed Fiasco Theater. One of the first graduates of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program in Acting, Rhode Island audiences may recognize him for his role as Louis in The Gamm Theater’s acclaimed production of Angels in America last year. Ben has performed on Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Cyrano de Bergerac and as James Monroe in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. His Off-Broadway acting and directing work for Fiasco includes his Lucille Lortel-nominated performance as The Baker in Into the Woods at the Roundabout (Lortel Award for Best Revival); Cymbeline at Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) and the Barrow Street Theatre (Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Revival); Measure for Measure at the New Victory Theatre (NY Times Top Ten of 2014), The Two Gentlemen of Verona at TFANA and the Folger Theatre (Helen Hayes nomination for Best Direction), Merrily We Roll Along at the Roundabout, and Twelfth Night at CSC.  In 2016, he made his London acting and directing debut with Fiasco’s Into the Woods at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and (with co-director Noah Brody) he received the L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle award for directing the national tour of Into the Woods in the 2016-17 Season.   

Steinfeld will work with Scenic Designer Edward T. Morris, Costume Designer Toni Spadafora-Sadler, Lighting Designer Kat C. Zhou, and Sound Designer Peter Sasha Hurowitz. The ensemble cast features resident company members Rebecca Gibel (Paulina/Autolycus), Mauro Hantman (Camillo/Cleomenes), Stephen Thorne (Leontes/Old Shepherd), and Rachael Warren (Hermione/Time/Mopsa); Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program in Acting students Abram  Blau (Florizel/Lord/Mariner), Jessie March (Perdita/Mamillius), and Mathieu Myrick (Antigonus/Shepherd’s Son/Servant); and returning guest artist Omar Robinson (Polixenes/Dion), last seen in 2020’s August Wilson’s Radio Golf.  

SPECIAL EVENTS 
Continuing Trinity Rep’s tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will hold Pay What You Wish performances of The Winter’s Tale on Thursday, Feb. 12 and Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Wish tickets are limited to two per person and can be purchased advanced online or by phone beginning on Jan. 29 at 12 pm, or the day of at the theater.   

Returning this season are Neighborhood Nights, where Rhode Island residents can access a 20% discount on 6:00 pm Sunday evening performances, based on where they live. Providence County residents are eligible for a Neighborhood Night discount for every Sunday evening performance. The Neighborhood Night performance for Kent and Washington County residents is March 1 at 6 pm, and for Bristol and Newport County residents on March 15 at 6 pm. Guests may claim this discount by entering their county name in all capital letters at checkout (i.e., PROVIDENCE).    

The Sensory Friendly performance of The Winter's Tale, designed to meet the needs of guests with sensitivities to light and sound, will be held on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 pm. All performances March 17-22 are open captioned. To learn more, visit TrinityRep.com/Accessibility. 

For over half a century, Project Discovery student matinee performances have introduced youth across Southern New England to the power of theater. The Project Discovery performances for The Winter’s Tale are on Feb. 26 and March 5, 6, and 12 at 10:00 am. To learn more and book tickets for your school, visit TrinityRep.com/ProjectDiscovery. 

Trinity Rep’s 2025-26 Season is sponsored by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) with supporting sponsorship by the Providence Tourism Council. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of Trinity Rep. 

ABOUT TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY 
Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning theater, Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Trinity Rep strives to facilitate human connection and has been a driving force behind the creativity that fuels and defines the region for more than 50 years.  

Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally stimulating live productions that range from classical to contemporary and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has brought families together for nearly five decades and made memories for over two million audience members.  

Trinity Rep’s 2025-26 Season features productions of Cold War Choir Practice, A Christmas Carol, The Roommate, The Winter’s Tale, Primary Trust, and Next to Normal. 5-Play and Flex Subscriptions are now on sale. For more information, visit Trinity Rep’s website at www.trinityrep.com.