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CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE
IN THE PARKS

A MIDSUMMER
NIGHT’S DREAM

FREE FOR ALL
July 25 – August 26, 2018

Touring to neighborhood parks across the city
by William Shakespeare
adapted & directed by Barbara Gaines

THE PLAY

Join us for one of our city’s favorite summer traditions! Now in its seventh year, the FREE FOR ALL Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour heads out to neighborhood parks across the north, west, and south sides of the city with a 75-minute abridged production. At each location, a specially equipped truck rolls into the park, a stage unfolds, and a company of professional actors shares Shakespeare’s magical comedy with families and neighbors of all ages.

The citywide tour is made possible by a renewed civic, cultural, and corporate partnership between Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, Boeing, and BMO Harris Bank. Since the inception of the Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks program seven years ago, more than 130,000 Chicagoans have taken advantage of free performances in their communities.

For the first time since the establishment of the Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour in 2012, Artistic Director Barbara Gaines is adapting and staging this production for audiences across Chicago. Gaines brings a vision of merriment to the beloved story of an evening in the park, where mischief ensues when the Fairy Court discovers four young lovers and an amateur theater troupe rehearsing nearby.

On the occasion of the Illinois Bicentennial, Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks will expand its summer tour with FREE SHAKESPEARE at Glen Oak Park in Peoria, Illinois. Duplicating its successful community engagement efforts piloted in Chicago over the first seven seasons of the program, the Theater makes its first foray beyond city limits to work in partnership with Peoria residents and community organizations, reaching new audiences from neighborhoods across the down-state region.

Lead Sponsors
 

 

Additional Support
Provided By

 

Green Show
Media Sponsor

 

 

 

 

 

 

WATCH & LISTEN

 

Video: Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks spotlights local artists

Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks 2018

Gallery: Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks 2018

 

Video: “I want them to leave laughing”

 
 
 
 
 

The Players

CREATIVE TEAM
Barbara Gaines   Adapter/Director
Kevin Depinet   Scenic Designer
Mieka Van Der Ploeg   Costume Designer
Mikhail Fiskel   Sound Designer
Richard Jarvie   Wig & Make-up Designer
Matt Deitchman   Music Director
Harrison McEldowney   Movement
David Woolley   Fight Choreographer
Larry Yando   Verse Coach
Laura Durham   Casting
Magdalene Spanuello   Assistant Director

 

CAST

Jasmine Bracey   Titania/Hippolyta
Adam Wesley Brown   Bottom, through August 19
Richard Costes   Snout
Danielle Davis   Starveling/Fairy
Lane Anthony Flores   Flute/Fairy
Sean Fortunato   Bottom, beginning August 21
Kevin Gudahl   Oberon/Theseus
Jarrett King   Egeus/Quince
Tyrone Phillips   Demetrius
Cage Sebastian Pierre   Puck
Laura Rook   Helena
Faith Servant   Hermia
Christopher Sheard   Lysander
Hannah Starr   Snug/Fairy
Daniel C. Brown   Understudy
Andrea Cañizares-Fernandez   Understudy
Drew Johnson   Understudy
Jeri Marshall   Understudy
Carlos Olmedo   Understudy
Rejinal Simon   Understudy

 

 
FREE FOR ALL

   

 FREE FOR ALL
      Bring your blanket or lawn chair

  Run Time: 75 minutes
      (no intermission)

 Access Performances

   Green Shows

 

Past PERFORMANCES
 

Navy Pier | Polk Bros Park Performance Lawn
Wed, July 25 at 7:00 pm
Thu, July 26 at 7:00 pm
Fri, July 27 at 7:00 pm​
Sat, July 28 at 7:00 pm

Ellis Park
Tue, July 31 at 6:30 pm

Gage Park
Wed, August 1 at 6:30 pm

Kelvyn Park
Thu, August 2 at 6:30 pm

Eckhart Park
Fri, August 3 at 6:30 pm

Welles Park
Sat, August 4 at 6:30 pm
Sun, August 5 at 4:00 pm

Columbus Park
Tue, August 7 at 6:30 pm

Tuley Park
Wed, August 8 at 6:30 pm

Humboldt Park
Thu, August 9 at 6:30 pm
Fri, August 10 at 6:30 pm

Frank J. Wilson Park
Sat, August 11 at 6:30 pm
Sun, August 12 at 4:00 pm

Ridge Park
Tue, August 14 at 6:30 pm

Garfield Park
Wed, August 15 at 6:30 pm

Dvorak Park
Thu, August 16 at 6:30 pm

Peoria, IL | Glen Oak Park
Sat, August 18 at 7:00 pm
Sun, August 19 at 2:00 pm

Calumet Park
Tue, August 21 at 6:30 pm

Ogden Park
Wed, August 22 at 6:30 pm

Piotrowski Park
Thu, August 23 at 6:30 pm

Loyola Park
Fri, August 24 at 6:30 pm
Sat, August 25 at 6:30 pm

Ping Tom Memorial Park
Sun, August 26 at 4:00 pm

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