The words of Shakespeare will be brought to life on campus once again at this year’s 7th annual Trinity Shakespeare Festival.

A blend of students and professionals will perform “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and “King Lear” on alternating nights to bring a mixture of comedy and tragedy to the theaters of TCU.

The plays will run from June 9-28 in the Buschman and Hays theatres of Ed Landreth Hall.

“Love’s Labour’s Lost” will be directed by award winning director Joel Ferrell, according to the festival website. The website describes the play as a romantic comedy that is a “joyful concoction of love, loss and, being Shakespeare, hope.”

“King Lear”, on the other hand, is a dramatic tragedy. TCU assistant professor of theatre, T.J Walsh, is directing the production. Centered around an aging monarch, “King Lear” is “a tale of love and loss, of desolation and reconciliation.”

Many of the actors have roles in both productions. Delaney Milbourn, a recent TCU graduate, is one of them.

“It almost becomes refreshing to jump between two different worlds instead of staying in just one,” Milbourn said. “One night I am in a beautiful, tragic world, and the next I am in a frisky comedy.”

Milbourn said the experience of working with the professional actors has been educational.

“The professional-student mix creates such a great learning experience, but it never becomes a ‘student-teacher’ situation,” she said. “It has been spectacular.”

Lydia Mackay is an adjunct professor of performance at TCU and is in her third year as an actor with the festival. She, too, values the dynamic of the cast.

“We’re all in it together,” Mackay said. “We take care of each other, learn from each other, and strive everyday (as a company) to create magic on stage.”

Having two separate productions also means two distinct sets and effects. Alex Adkins is working towards a B.F.A. in Theatre Production from TCU and works on the tech crew as the assistant sound designer.

“In my opinion, the technical aspects are really what bring the show to life,” Adkins said. “They add depth, color and mood to the play and enhance the message that the actors are communicating onstage.”

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and any TCU faculty, staff or student can buy tickets for $20, according to the box office.

Tickets are already on sale at the box office, or online at www.trinity shakes.org.