There are few things I enjoy more than seeing Shakespeare performances - and it's even better when they're free! With summer inching closer, there are about to be tons of opportunities to take in a show without breaking the bank... and I figured I would help you find a free performance near you, too!
Below is a list of every free production of a Shakespeare play I was able to find that is scheduled for this summer in the United States. The list is organized by state, in alphabetical order.
A handful of states do not appear to have upcoming free Shakespeare productions this summer. If you know of a show that I have missed, please share it in the comments!
A handful of states do not appear to have upcoming free Shakespeare productions this summer. If you know of a show that I have missed, please share it in the comments!
It costs a lot of money to produce a play, even if the cast and crew are volunteers. I'm sure the companies would be glad to accept donations to offset the costs of production, so while all of the shows listed can be seen for free, please consider making a contribution to continue these projects when you are in the audience.
Be sure to share this list with fellow theatre fans, and check out ShakespeareCoach.com if you're looking for a Shakespeare Coach for your next audition or performance.
Have a great summer!
Emily
ALABAMA
The Rude Mechanicals - The Park at Manderson Landing, Tuscaloosa
(Allen Bales Theatre if weather does not permit outdoor performance)
The Merchant of Venice - May 30th - June 2nd
Romeo & Juliet - June 27th - 30th
ALASKA
Fairbanks Shakespeare Theater
*Under 18 free admission, ??? 18+ can sign up to usher*
Merry Wives of Windsor
- Fairbanks - July 5 - 22
- Anchorage/Denali July 29 - August 1
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre - Conway, Arkansas
*All performances of The Winter’s Tale are pay-what-you-can, suggested donation: $15*
The Winter’s Tale - June 8th - July 6th
CALIFORNIA
Independent Shakespeare Co. - Griffith Park, Los Angeles
A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Titus Andronicus (in rotating rep)
- June 30th - September 2nd
Merced Shakespeare - Applegate Park in Merced, CA
The Merry Wives of Windsor - September 8th - 16th
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival - TOUR of Bay Area Parks
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 30th - September 23rd
Shakespeare by the Sea - TOUR of Los Angeles area
The Merry Wives of Windsor & The Winter’s Tale - June 24th - August 18th
Woodward Shakespeare Festival - Woodward Park, Fresno, CA
*Pay for reserved seating, free seating on a first-come basis*
Othello - June 15th - July 8th
Much Ado About Nothing - August 2nd - August 25th
COLORADO
Foothills Theatre Company - Clement Park, Littleton
The Comedy of Errors - July 20th - 28th
Open Stage Theatre & Company - Fort Collins
*One night only pay-what-you-can*
Comedy of Errors - June 7
CONNECTICUT
Shakespeare on the Shoreline (Guilford) - The Legacy Company
Hamlet - August 1st - 5th
Elm Shakespeare - Edgerton Park, New Haven, CT
Love’s Labour’s Lost - August 16th - September 2nd
*Connecticut Free Shakespeare - The Tempest - Dates and locations to be announced
DELAWARE
Brown Box Theatre - TOUR of Massachusetts, followed by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia
As You Like It - In Delaware, Maryland and Virginia August 30th - September 23rd
FLORIDA
The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival - Seabreeze Amphitheatre, Carlin Park, Jupiter
Antony + Cleopatra - July 12th - 22nd
GEORGIA
Rome Shakespeare Festival - Town Green, Rome, GA
Complete Works [abridged], Much Ado, Macbeth - May 24th - June 10th
ILLINOIS
Midsommer Flight - Chicago, IL in several parks across the city
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - July 7th - August 26th
Stone Soup Shakespeare - TOUR of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin
The Taming of the Shrew - NOW through June 10th
INDIANA
Indianapolis Shakespeare Company - White River State Park, Indianapolis
Coriolanus - August 2nd - August 4th
Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival - TOUR of Michigan and Indiana
The Merchant of Venice - July 15th - August 20th
Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival - Fremont Park, South Bend
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - July 26th & 27th
Evansville Shakespeare Players - Willard Library, Evansville
Merry Wives of Windsor - August 10th - 12th
Stone Soup Shakespeare - TOUR of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin
The Taming of the Shrew - NOW through June 10th
IOWA
Riverside Theatre - the Festival Stage at Iowa City Park
Much Ado About Nothing - June 15th - June 24th
KANSAS
Wichita Shakespeare Company
Tour of area parks
Antony and Cleopatra - June 8th - June 24th
Timon of Athens - September 7th - September 23rd
KENTUCKY
Kentucky Shakespeare - Central Park, Louisville, KY
A Comedy of Errors - May 30th - July 22nd
Henry IV Part 1 - June 14th - July 21st
Othello - June 28th - July 21st
MARYLAND
Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Parks - TOUR of parks and community centers
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - July 10th - July 22nd
Brown Box Theatre - TOUR of Massachusetts, followed by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia
As You Like It - In Delaware, Maryland and Virginia August 30th - September 23rd
MASSACHUSETTS
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company - Boston Common
Richard III - July 18th - August 5th
Apollinaire Theatre Company - Port Park, Chelsea
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - July 11th - July 29th
Brown Box Theatre - TOUR of Massachusetts, followed by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia
As You Like It - In Massachusetts August 10th - 26th
MICHIGAN
Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival - TOUR of Michigan and Indiana
The Merchant of Venice - July 15th - August 20th
Shakespeare in Detroit - Much Ado Para Nada - one free performance in August TBA
MINNESOTA
Great River Shakespeare Festival - Winona, MN
*Pay What You Will Preview Performances*
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 23rd and 28th
All’s Well That Ends Well - June 24th and 27th
Stage 2 Duluth - Glensheen Historic Estate, Duluth, MN
Much Ado About Nothing - June 12th - 28th
Cromulent Shakespeare Company - TOUR of parks in Minneapolis/St. Paul
The Taming of the Shrew - June 1st - June 30th
*all performances are free except for June 17th performance: $5 per person over age 12
Classical Actors Ensemble - TOUR of parks in Minneapolis/St. Paul
Romeo & Juliet - June 15th - July 15th
MISSOURI
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival - Kansas City Shakes - Southmoreland Park
Much Ado About Nothing - June 12th - July 1st
Shakespeare Festival St. Louis - Forest Park
Romeo & Juliet - June 1st - June 24th
Stone Soup Shakespeare - TOUR of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin
The Taming of the Shrew - NOW through June 10th
MONTANA
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks - TOUR of Montana (tons of locations, visit website)
Othello & Love’s Labour’s Lost - June 13th - September 4th
NEBRASKA
Nebraska Shakespeare - Shakespeare Park, University of Omaha Campus
Much Ado About Nothing - June 21st - July 7th
King John - June 28th - July 8th
Julius Caesar - July 7th & 8th
Flatwater Shakespeare Company - TOUR of parks in Lincoln, Nebraska
The Tempest - June 21st - June 24th
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Actors Circle Theatre - The Winter’s Tale - Depot Square Park, Peterborough - Dates TBA
NEW JERSEY
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Picnic Series - TOUR of New Jersey
TBA - 2017 went from early July - early August
Hudson Shakespeare Company - TOUR Northern NJ
The Tempest - June 5th - June 28th
All’s Well That Ends Well - July 8th - August 2nd
NEW MEXICO
Shakespeare on the Plaza - Civic Plaza, Albuquerque
As You Like It & The Merry Wives of Windsor - June 8th - July 1st
NEW YORK CITY
Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park
Othello - May 29th - June 24th 2018
Twelfth Night (musical adaptation - revival of 2016 production) - July 17th - August 19th
New York Classical Theatre - Five parks in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Romeo & Juliet - in Central Park June 5th - June 24th
In Rockefeller Park June 26th - June 30th
In Battery Park July 2nd - July 15th
In Carl Schurz Park July 17th - July 21st
In Brooklyn Bridge Park July 24th - July 29th
Hudson Warehouse - Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Riverside Park
Romeo & Juliet - June 7th - July 1st
Hamlet - August 2nd - August 26th
Smith Street Stage (Brooklyn) - Carroll Park
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 20th - July 1st
Shakespeare in Bryant Park (The Drilling Company)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - May 18th - June 2nd
Twelfth Night - (One weekend only) - July 27th - July 29th
Macbeth - August 24th - September 8th
Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company - Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island
Measure for Measure - September 15 - September 23rd
Hip to Hip - TOUR of parks in all 5 boroughs plus Jersey City, NJ & Southampton, Long Island
King Lear and All’s Well That Ends Well (in rotating repertory) - July 26th - August 26th
South Brooklyn Shakespeare - South Slope and Gowanus neighborhoods
The Winter’s Tale - July 28 - August 4th
Southbrooklynshakespeare.com
Shakespeare Downtown - Battery Park
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 14th - June 24th
NEW YORK (UPSTATE)
Shake on the Lake - TOUR of Wyoming, Livingston, Genesee, Monroe, Orleans, Erie, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties
Richard III - July 26th - August 12th
Shakespeare in Delaware Park - Buffalo, NY
King Lear - June 21st - July 15th
Much Ado About Nothing - July 26th - August 15th
Saratoga Shakespeare Company - Congress Park, Saratoga Springs
As You Like It - July 17th - July 28th
Henry IV - July 31st - August 4th
Rochester Community Players & Wallbyrd Theatre - Highland Bowl, Rochester
The Two Gentlemen of Verona - July 2018
NORTH CAROLINA
Montford Park Players - Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, Asheville
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 2018
Hamlet - September 2018
The Tempest - November 2018
Uprising Theatre Company - Pinehurst
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - June 1st - June 10th
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota Shakespeare - Grand Forks, ND
Twelfth Night - June 12th - June 17th
OHIO
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival - TOUR of local parks
Troilus and Cressida - June 15th - July 1st
Twelfth Night - July 20th - August 5th
The Actors Theatre - German Village’s Schiller Park, Columbus
Macbeth - May 24th - June 17th
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - August 9th - September 2nd
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company - TOUR to parks in Ohio and nearby states
Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream - check back for dates/locations
OKLAHOMA
Gaslight Theatre - Government Springs Park, Enid, OK
Romeo & Juliet - June 22nd - 24th
OREGON
Portland Actors Ensemble & Willamette Shakespeare - TOUR of wineries
Complete Works… [abridged] - August 3rd - August 19th
Portland Actors Ensemble - Portland area parks, location TBA
Romeo & Juliet - July 6th - 29th
PENNSYLVANIA
Poor Yorick’s Players - Tall Trees Amphitheatre in Monroeville, PA
King Lear - June 8th - 16th
Romeo & Juliet - July 20th - 22nd
Shakespeare in Clark Park - Philadelphia
Twelfth Night - July 25th - July 29th
People’s Shakespeare Project - Binns Park, Lancaster
As You Like It - June 7th - June 17th
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks - The Two Gentlemen of Verona - September 2018
Check back for details
RHODE ISLAND
The Rhode Island Shakespeare Theater - Roger Williams Ntl. Memorial, Providence
Hamlet - May 31st - June 17th
SOUTH CAROLINA
Upstate Shakespeare Festival & Warehouse Theatre - Falls Park on the Reedy, Greenville
The Winter’s Tale - May 24th - June 17th
The Taming of the Shrew - July 15th - July 29th
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota Shakespeare - Prentis Park, Vermillion
Richard III - June 7th - June 10th
TENNESSEE
The Nashville Shakespeare Festival
*$10 suggested donation*
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Nashville: August 9th - September 9th
- Franklin: September 13th - 16th
TEXAS
Austin Shakespeare - Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theatre
The Merry Wives of Windsor - NOW through May 27th
Houston Shakespeare Festival - at the University of Houston
Hamlet & Comedy of Errors - July 27th - August 5th
Shakespeare Dallas - Samuell-Grand Park Amphitheatre
The Comedy of Errors & The Taming of the Shrew - June 6th - July 15th
Magik Theatre does free Shakespeare production in the fall in San Antonio, not yet announced.
UTAH
Grassroots Shakespeare - TOUR
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Two Noble Kinsmen - Mid May - July
VIRGINIA
Brown Box Theatre - TOUR of Massachusetts, followed by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia
As You Like It - In Delaware, Maryland and Virginia August 30th - September 23rd
Three Spirits Theatre - Virginia Mountain Vineyards, Fincastle
Romeo & Juliet - August 10th - August 12th
WASHINGTON
GreenStage Shakespeare in the Park - TOUR of Seattle parks
Henry IV Part 1 - July 13th - August 18th
Backyard Bard productions:
The Two Gentlemen of Verona & The Winter’s Tale - July 13th - August 18th
Island Shakespeare Festival - Whidbey Island
*Pay What You Will*
Rotating Repertory includes Othello and Twelfth Night - July 12th - September 2nd
Shakespeare in the Woods - Webster’s Woods Art Park, Port Angeles
As You Like It - July 20th - August 5th
WASHINGTON D.C.
Shakespeare Theatre Company - Carter Barron Amphitheatre
Romeo & Juliet - August 21st - September 2nd
*NOTE: STC offers the “Free Will” program, offering free tickets to performances throughout the year. See website for details.
WEST VIRGINIA
Appalachian Shakespeare Project - Athens, WV
Much Ado About Nothing - at Pipestem: July 20th - July 22nd
- at Concord University: July 27th - July 29th
WISCONSIN
Summit Players’ Shakespeare in the State Park - TOUR of state parks in Wisconsin
Twelfth Night - June 23rd - August 12th
Stone Soup Shakespeare - TOUR of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin
The Taming of the Shrew - NOW through June 10th
Madison Shakespeare Company - Edgewood College Amphitheatre
The Taming of the Shrew - June 22nd - July 1st
Optimist Theatre - Peck Pavillion, Milwaukee
King Lear - July 5th - July 21st
WYOMING
Thin Air Shakespeare - Amphitheatre at the Center for the Arts, Jackson
Macbeth - July 6th - July 15th