ShepardFest Honoring Playwright Sam Shepard

St. Augustine Waterworks hosts a three-day festival honoring the late playwright, actor, and director Sam Shepard, from Friday, July 31, through Sunday, August 2, 2026. Produced by the Lightworks organization, the festival features lectures, theatrical performances, film screenings, and a book signing.

About Sam Shepard

Named "the greatest American playwright of his generation" by New York magazine, Shepard wrote more than 40 plays and appeared in more than 50 films. He was also an author, director, screenwriter, and musician.

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, he won 10 Obie Awards (more than any other writer or director). He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child. As an actor, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Right Stuff and won the Robert Altman Award for his role in Mud.

About Shepardfest

The entire event takes place at the St. Augustine Waterworks. The lectures are free events; tickets for the three fully-staged performances of Buried Child are $25.00, and tickets for each film screening and the staged-reading of Kicking a Dead Horse are $10.00. To obtain tickets for all events (including the free events), go to their ticket link.

ShepardFest is supported in part by the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council, the St. Johns Cultural Council, and the St. Augustine Film Fest. For more information about ShepardFest, visit here.

Lectures and Discussion, and a Book Signing

Lectures

• Designing Impactful Sets in Historic Buildings: Eddie Moncrief, Friday, July 31, 10:00 a.m.
• Sam Shepard in American Theatre: Sloan Stuart, July 31, 12:00 p.m.
• Dressing Shepard Characters: Nathanael Tria, July 31, at 2:00 p.m.

Discussion Panel

On Saturday, August 1, at 11:00 a.m., a panel leads a discussion titled "MYTH in Sam Shepard's Work." This is a free event.

Book Signing

On Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., Author Robert M. Dowling signs and discusses his book, Coyote, a biography of Sam Shepard, published in 2025. This is a free event.

Stage Performances

Fully Staged Performances of Buried Child

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 31 through August 2, Shepardfest presents a fully-staged production of Sam Shepard's play Buried Child. The performances on Friday and Saturday are at 7:00 p.m., while Sunday's performance is a matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Shepard's play, Buried Child, premiered at the Magic Theatre in St. Francisco in 1978. This psychological drama explores family dysfunction and the "decay of the American dream." Set in a farmhouse during the 1970s which is the family home where Dodge and his wife Halie raised their sons, the play's tone and atmosphere reflect the family's bickering, secrets, and complicated relationships. The narrative moves forward with the arrival of Dodge and Halie's grandson, Vince, and his girlfriend. 

Buried Child won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979.

Staged Reading of Kicking a Dead Horse

On Saturday, August 1, at 2:00 p.m., the festival presents a staged reading of Shepard's play, Kicking a Dead Horse. Shepard directed the New York production of this play, which had premiered in Dublin in 2007. The majority of the play is a dramatic monologue by the character Hobart Struther, whose midlife journey has culminated with his horse dying in the desert. 

Film Screenings

On Monday, August 3, 2026, ShepardFest hosts screenings of two Sam Shepard movies:

• Thunderheart, at noon
• Days of Heaven, at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets for each movie are $10.00 plus fees.

Event Details

Admission: As of June 22, we are not aware of one ticket that includes all events. You can purchase and reserve tickets for each event, including the free events.

• Performances of Buried Child, on July 31 through August 1, are $25.00 plus fees.
• The Staged Reading of Kicking a Dead Horse, on August 1, at 2:00 p.m., is $10.00 plus fees.
• The two film screenings on August 3 at noon and 3:00 p.m. are both $10:00 plus fees.
• The lectures, panel discussion, and book signing are all free. You may reserve a seat via the ticket link.

When: The activities open to the public are Friday, July 31, through Monday, August 3, 2026. See the full schedule below.

Where: St. Augustine Waterworks, 184 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

• Getting there: Access to the Waterworks is through the St. Augustine Main Library parking lot. (Use 1960 North Ponce de Leon Blvd. in your GPS.)