A Very Shakespeare Summer

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By Sydney Vollmer

Shakespeare in the ParkCongrats to all the Bearcats who graduated and to those who celebrated surviving another semester! Now that it’s summer time, you might be looking for some fun things to do.  I can tell you about one that’s right in your backyard…well, park.  Once again the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will offer their free Shakespeare in the Park summer series.  It opens July 14th and runs through September 4th. Each year Cincinnati Shakes prepares two shows for their various performances at parks around the city and Hamilton County.  This year’s shows are Romeo and Juliet and The Merry Wives of Windsor.  Past years included A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and Much Ado About Nothing.  The official schedule hasn’t been posted yet, but it will be coming soon!  You can check their website for updates.

Shakespeare in the ParkMaybe you’re not from Cincinnati.  Maybe you’re from out-of-state, or you’ll be traveling over the summer.  The good news is that most states across America host some sort of summer Shakespeare performance series.  Over 30 states present a Shakespeare festival or summer series and some of them are free while others require tickets.  The list below gives links to at least one Shakespeare event in 37 states and Washington D. C.  And, there are multiple states that have Shakespeare festivals in more than one region.  New York, for example, is full of Shakespeare during the summer.  Take a look at the list and maybe you’ll find a festival somewhere you were already thinking about visiting.  If you don’t see a festival in a particular region, chances are good you’ll find something if you do a little digging!

MacbethIf you’ll be in Cincinnati over the summer, the Archives & Rare Books Library will be open during its normal hours (M-F from 8a-5p) so you can get your Shakespeare fix by scheduling an appointment with us at 513.556.1959 or emailing us at archives@ucmail.uc.edu.   Visit our Shakespeare website at http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/exhibits/shakespeare400/ and keep up with us on Facebook too.  We post every day at https://www.facebook.com/ArchivesRareBooksLibraryUniversityOfCincinnati/.  Don’t forget that in August, we will be participating with the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Public Library, and Miami University in presenting a Cincinnati heritage view of Shakespeare that includes the exhibit of a First Folio, courtesy of the Folger Library in Washington, D.C.

Macbeth Audience

Happy summer, and Happy Shakespeare Viewing Season!

  1. Arizona http://www.flagshakes.com/
  2. California shakespearebythesea.org http://www.iscla.org/griffith-park-festival/
  3. Colorado https://cupresents.org/events/
  4. Connecticut http://www.ctfreeshakespeare.org/CFS-HOME.html
  5. Delaware http://delshakes.org/
  6. Hawaii http://www.hawaiishakes.org/
  7. Idaho http://idahoshakespeare.org/
  8. Illinois http://illinoisshakes.com/  https://www.chicagoshakes.com/
  9. Indiana https://www.richmondshakespearefestival.org/
  10. Iowa http://www.absolutelywicked.org/index.php/summer/
  11. Kentucky http://www.kyshakespeare.com/sicp/
  12. Louisiana http://neworleansshakespeare.org/
  13. Maine http://camdenshakespeare.org/
  14. Maryland http://www.pgparks.com/page57617.aspx
  15. Massachusetts http://commshakes.org/performances/performance-history
  16. Michigan https://www.michiganshakespearefestival.com/
  17. Minnesota http://grsf.org/
  18. Missouri http://www.kcshakes.org/contact/
  19. Montana http://www.shakespeareintheparks.org/
  20. Nebraska http://www.nebraskashakespeare.com/
  21. Nevada http://laketahoeshakespeare.com/
  22. New Mexico http://www.newmexicoshakespeare.org/
  23. New York https://www.publictheater.org/en/programs–events/shakespeare-in-the-park/?SiteTheme=Shakespeare http://pulseensembletheatre.org/harlem-summer-shakespeare  http://www.cthnyc.org/  http://shakespeareintheparkinglot.com/
  24. North Carolina http://www.montfordparkplayers.org/
  25. Ohio http://www.ohioshakespearefestival.com/ http://www.cleveshakes.com/
  26. Oregon https://www.osfashland.org/ http://www.portlandactors.com/
  27. Pennsylvania http://www.shakespeareinclarkpark.org/ http://www.pittsburghshakespeare.com/
  28. South Carolina http://warehousetheatre.com/season/upstate-shakespeare-festival/
  29. South Dakota http://www.sdshakespearefestival.org/
  30. Tennessee http://nashvilleshakes.org/shakespeareinthepark.htm
  31. Texas http://www.texasshakespeare.com/ http://www.austinshakespeare.org/
  32. Utah https://www.bard.org/
  33. Vermont http://www.vermontshakespeare.org/
  34. Virginia http://www.wm.edu/as/vsf/ http://www.agecrofthall.com/View.aspx?page=home/home08
  35. Washington D. C. http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/
  36. Washington http://greenstage.org/shakespeare-in-the-park/
  37. Wyoming http://wyomingshakespeare.org/now-playing/