More than halfway through Island Shakespeare Festival’s 2022 season, the theater company’s three diverse shows have been seeing pre-pandemic audience numbers.

Artistic Director Olena Hodges said audience sizes are on par with a typical season. The annual festival was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and last year saw an abridged festival. This year’s season is the first full one since 2019.

“We really weren’t sure going into this season how COVID concerns would affect our audience numbers,” Hodges said. “I think because we’re outdoors people feel safe attending, so that’s been really great.”

Shows have been so popular that people have had to be turned away for both “Love’s Labors Lost” and “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Hodges said this usually doesn’t happen until closing weekend.

She acknowledged that while “Titus Andronicus” is a darker show and as a result has had smaller crowds, it is “phenomenally beautiful” and well-directed.

With another three weeks of performances on the horizon, there’s still plenty of time left to make it to a show before the curtain falls for good. The productions are on a rotating schedule, with most performances beginning at 6 p.m. with the exception of an additional matinee at 1 p.m. on Sundays. A full schedule can be found by visiting islandshakespearefest.org.

Hodges recommended making reservations online for the pay-what-you-will shows. The reservation system is a great tool if you want to plan ahead or ensure space for a large party. About 50% of the 150-seat house is reserved for walk-ups.

This year’s season was originally planned to run in 2020.

“It’s a beautiful season. It feels like all three plays balance each other really, really well and all three really highlight our mission and the kind of work that we intend to bring to our community,” Hodges said. “They’re certainly accessible for a contemporary audience, they’re fun, they’re unique, they give opportunity for exciting representation of these stories.”

People can also catch a one-night only staged reading at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29. Non-binary Shakespeare actor Will Wilhelm will perform their solo work, titled “Gender Play,” directed by Erin Murray.

Photo by Sarah Sanborn From left to right, JaVaun Butler as Berowne, Morgan Davis as Rosaline, Mary Reagan as Maria and Camila Calderon as Catherine in “Love’s Labors Lost.”

Photo by Michael Stadler Jeff Natter, left, as Titus and Morgan Davis as Lavinia in “Titus Andronicus.”