Summer Means Shakespeare (in the Park), 2024

Milwaukee's Optimist Theatre goes beyond Shakespeare in the Park this season and offers Shakespeare in the City, featuring four different plays, including "Another Midsummer Night's Dream" performed by The Available Players.

​By Mary Boyle

Most of the area theatre companies take a break over the summer months, when everyone would rather be outdoors and soaking up the sun, but there are a few whose season only coincides with Wisconsin's warmest months, and they bring their performances outdoors, with an almost exclusive focus on the most famous of playwrights:  William Shakespeare.

Since 2014, the Summit Players, a group of mainly Marquette Alumni, have worked hard to make Shakespeare accessible to families by performing for free at State Parks throughout Wisconsin.  This year, the production is the Bard's magical A Midsummer Night's Dream. Their plays use the original language, but they are edited for time and to be as family-friendly as possible, while still retaining the brilliance that the Bard intended. Summit Players even offer a pre-show workshop that is perfect for school-aged kids, so be sure to check that out.  The Players won't be at Belgium's Harrington Beach State Park this season, but they will be just north of Oz in Sheboygan at Kohler-Andrae State Park on Saturday, July 13th for a 5:30 workshop and 7 p.m. show, and just west of Oz in Hartford at the Kettle Moraine State Forest on Sunday, July 28th with a 3:30 workshop and 5 p.m. show.  Note that you will need a vehicle admission sticker to get into the parks. To see the Summit Players full schedule and learn more, go to:  ​www.summitplayerstheatre.com/

Optimist Theatre in Milwaukee has been doing Shakespeare in the Park in Milwaukee since 2010, but this year they're going big with Shakespeare in the City.  Their main production will be a one-woman show of Hamlet with Libby Amato (I saw this done at Door Shakespeare and was amazed), but there will also be three other performances to attend: Another Midsummer Night’s Dream, an original piece written and directed by Milwaukee Playwright Liz Shipe and performed by The Available Players; The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet: Kinda Sorta, written and directed by Patrick Schmitz and performed by the Schmitz 'n Giggles Shakesparody Players; Macbeth presented by Pocket Park Puppet Players (think puppets with knives); and, as if that wasn't enough, there's also The PLAY’s the Thing, a series of Shakespeare-focused theatre games. The shows are always Saturday and Sunday matinees, are free to attend, and are outdoors (you will need to bring your own chair/blanket).  Walk ups are welcome but you are encouraged to register at their website; space is always first come, first served. Members (a yearly donation of $75) are able to reserve seats at one show each season    To see the full schedule and learn more about Optimist Theatre, please visit: ​http://www.optimisttheatre.org

Door Shakespeare has been doing Shakespearean productions, as well as other classical works, in the Garden of Björklunden’s 405-acre estate on Lake Michigan in Baileys Harbor for over 20 years.  This season they will perform Romeo & Juliet, as well as Jane Austen's Emma, from July 3rd through August 16th.  A trip to Door County is made even better with the addition of live, outdoor theatre in the Garden of Björklunden. To learn more about Door Shakespeare, their play schedule, and their other programs, visit http://www.doorshakespeare.com​.
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​For those willing to travel just a bit further, one of the best outdoor theatre experiences in Wisconsin is just outside of Spring Green at the American Players Theatre.  APT has multiple productions, both modern and classic, throughout the summer on two different stages, one outdoor and one indoor, but they never fail to perform at least one of Shakespeare's plays.  This season, APT has selected two by the Bard:  Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear.  The APT season opens Saturday, June 22nd, and runs through Sunday, November 10th.  To learn more about APT's complete season, go to: ​https://americanplayers.org/

Though I missed their inaugural season last summer, the Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival will return to the Pablo Center at the Confluence in Eau Claire July 5th through the 28th with three productions, including Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again].  The theater is built to resemble Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London, and they offer a bunch of Shakespeare-themed activities if you happen to be in the Eau Claire area this summer.  Learn more at www.pablocenter.org/events/wishakespearefest.

There is a reason that Shakespeare in the Park can be found in outdoor spaces throughout the country: in William Shakespeare's time, his plays were mainly performed in an open-air theater, so it feels right to recreate those conditions for today's audiences.  The outdoor theatre experience, much like an outdoor concert, has an energy all its own that must be experienced to be understood.  While every live theatre performance is unique, the weather and nature are crucial and unpredictable parts of the outdoor theatre production that give an entirely different, and highly individual, dimension to a play, and make for an unforgettable performance.  Add to the itinery of your camping trip, or go just for the show, but make sure you add one of these performances to your summer calendar!  ​