Public spaces come alive with free outdoor theater in New York City in the summer, and especially with the plays of William Shakespeare. The top destination, of course, is usually the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park presents excellent productions that among New York's best things to do in the summer. That series is on hold this year for long-needed Delacorte renovations, but luckily you can still enjoy plays by Shakespeare and other classical masters elsewhere in the city: in Harlem and Brooklyn, at Battery and Riverside Parks, even in a Lower East Side parking lot. You might be surprised by the magic that can come from wonderful words, inventive actors and a mild summer breeze.
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The Classical Theatre of Harlem returns to Marcus Garvey Park with a free, fun and fabulous production of Shakespeare's summer frolic, set by Carl Cofield in the Harlem Renaissance. Lovestruck humans and fairies chase each other around a two-tiered set that shifts from a '30s nightspot to enchanted forest. The seductive visuals are complemented by a high-energy ensemble of performers who act in broad strokes so that Shakespeare neophytes don't get lost in the poetry.—Raven Snook
The Drilling Company's beloved Shakespeare in the Parking Lot returns for its 29th season of free classical theater on the Lower East Side. This year's offering, directed by company founder Hamilton Clancy, is the Bard's famous guide on how to land a man: Dress up like a boy, then moon after him till he’s yours! The cast includes Clancy himself as well as Ivory Aquino (When We Rise), Mary Linehan, Emanuel Elpenord, Patrick Hart and Andy Rowell.
Hudson Classical Theater Company concludes its 2024 season of free summer classics with lighthearted take on Shakespeare's ever-popular comedy of cross-purposes, cross-dressing and cross-gartered socks. Company mainstay Nicholas Martin-Smith directs. (Reservations are not needed.)
Hip to Hip Theatre Company moves from park to park in Queens, with outings to Jersey City and Southampton, to perform two seasonal Shakespeare plays in rep: the ribald comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream and the guilt-and-redemption fable The Winter's Tale. Consult Hip to Hip's website to see which production plays when and where.
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