In 1954 legendary theater director and producer Joseph Papp decided the greatest city in the world deserved a summer series devoted to the work of the world’s greatest playwright. What began as a collection of workshops has now grown into Shakespeare in the Park, a massive seasonal production that stages two shows each summer at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air performance venue in Central Park that seats up to 1800. The first play to go up at the Delacorte was The Merchant of Venice, starring Hollywood heavyweights James Earl Jones and George C. Scott. Since then, the festival has continued to attract top-notch acting talent, including Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, and Denzel Washington. Shakespeare in the Park has just concluded its critically-acclaimed run of Othello. Next up, from July 17th through August 19th, audiences will be delighted by the zany antics of twins Viola and Sebastian, when a shipwreck and a case of mistaken identity result in some very interesting love triangles in Twelfth Night. To learn how to get your free tickets to the show, visit the official Shakespeare in the Park website here.
Address: 81 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023