Central Park

At Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare in Central Park, you can see four plays this summer rather than the usual three —  all for free! You also get to view the plays in the pastoral setting of Central Park in downtown Louisville.

Shakespeare in Central Park kicks off with The Tempest, a romantic tale of betrayal, exile and forgiveness, which runs June 16–20 and June 23–27. Next up is the exciting story of Richard III, June 30–July 4 and July 7–11. The Globe Players, an advanced theater company of talented high-school students associated with the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, will put on the clever comedy Much Ado About Nothing from July 14–18. (It was that very play that first launched Shakespeare in the Park!) In addition, there will be a special presentation for young audiences of the Christmas-themed comedy Twelfth Night from June 19, June 26, July 3, July 10 and July 17.

Productions are all in the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheatre in historic Old Louisville's Central Park. The amphitheater seats up to 1,000. Between 10,000 and 15,000 catch these performances each summer in what has become a family tradition. Grandparents, who first caught Shakespeare in Central Park as children decades ago, now bring their own children and grandchildren.

If it rains, the play will be delayed for 15 minutes in hope of better weather. At that point, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival staff will decide whether to scrap or continue the play.

The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival began as a community theater in 1949. The first summer Shakespeare productions came in 1960 — the same year the company was asked to stage a scene from Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park the first time, and Shakespeare in Central Park was born.

Both Central Park and the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheatre are wheelchair accessible. Street parking next to Central Park can be tricky, so it's best to arrive early.

- by Ivonne Rovira, Louisville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Ivonne Rovira

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.