The best free things to do in NYC this weekend

You can head to Central Park to see Shakespeare in the Park's Twelfth Night in August, courtesy of the Public Theater. First, though, the Public is taking Shakespeare to you as its Mobile Unit travels through all five boroughs with a stripped-down and musicalized version of Shakespeare's war-of-the-sexes comedy Much Ado About Nothing, in which sparks fly between a pair of witty enemies who clearly have the hots for each other. This accessible Latin-flavored version, which incorporates some Spanish, represents the third straight Mobile Unit collaboration between director Rebecca Martinez and songwriter Julian Mesri; Nathan M. Ramsey and Keren Lugo play the squabbling wits. The tour begins at Astor Place (May 29–31) and Bryant Park (June 3–8) before wending its way through the rest of the city; a full schedule is on the Public's website.

The populist classicists of Smith Street Stage go once more unto Brooklyn's Carroll Park, my friends, with Shakespeare's stirring history play, in which an untested but charismatic English king lays claim to a corner of France's vasty fields. Artistic Director Jonathan Hopkins helms this 15th-anniversary production, which stars a woman, McLean Peterson, in the title role. (If you think cross-gender casting goes against the spirit of Shakespeare, I have some very bad news for you.)

Barefoot Shakespeare Company invites you to kick off your shoes and watch a pair of Shakespeare comedies performed by actors who have just a month to learn their parts and are structly forbidden from rehearsing with each other beforehand in any way. The company nicknames it "Shakespeare for Sports Fans," and errors are part of the fun; a referee calls foul for missed lines and cues, and the audience is invited to bet on who will perform the best. The Comedy of Errors bats first on May 31, followed by A Midsummer Night's Dream on July 7. Both performances are free at Central Park's Summit Rock.

Hudson Classical Theater Company begins its tripartate 2025 summer season at Riverside Park with a free alfresco production of the Bard's historical tragedy, in which Roman senators bloodily veto a popular general after his leadership turns toward tyranny. Company founder Nicholas Martin-Smith directs a cast of 20 at the suitably neoclassical Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. If you missed the Public Theater's controversial Trump-themed production in 2017, here's another chance to see the play, minus the orange Julius.

A determined young woman doggedly pursues the uninterested object of her affections—whose hand in marriage she has been granted by a grateful king—in Shakespeare's rarely produced comedy, a romance so problematic that its title verges on sarcasm. Stephen Burdman directs this peripatetic production for his industrious New York Classical Theatre; the cast of eight includes Anique Clements as the dauntless Helena, Paul Deo Jr. as the heedless Bertram, Karel Heřmánek Jr. as the feckless Parolles and Nick Salamone and Carine Montbertran as well-intentioned nobles. The show kicks off in Central Park (June 3–22) before moving east to Carl Schurz Park (June 24–29) and south to Battery Park (July 1–6). Attendance is free, but reservations are suggested.