The Shakespeare Forum follows up its acclaimed production of Love's Labours Lost last summer with its take on THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Co-directed by Andrew Borthwick-Leslie and Sybille Bruun, previews begin today, May 22 at The Gym at Judson with opening night set for Thursday, May 29.

The New Amsterdam Singers, led by music director Clara Longstreth, will present the final concert of its season, called Full Fathom Five: Shakespeare in Song (Composers of Many Lands in Love with the Bard) tonight, May 22, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church, 552 West End Avenue at 87th Street. The program includes four major choral cycles on Shakespeare texts for a cappella choir by 20th- century composers from England, Switzerland, Finland, and Denmark. The evocative poem/song from The Tempest, 'Full Fathom Five,' appears in three of the cycles.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) begins a new season of free, family-friendly, multicultural Green Show performances June 3. Offered six nights a week outdoors, the 2014 Green Show season runs June 3 through October 12 and features local, national and international acts.

The Public Theater has announced complete casting for KING LEAR, the second show of The Public's free Shakespeare in the Park season at the Delacorte. Featuring the previously announced John Lithgow as Lear, this enduring tragedy will begin performances on Tuesday, July 22 and run through Sunday, August 17, with an official press opening on Tuesday, August 5.

The race is on to perform William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night tonight, May 21, 2014 at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. These Challengers have volunteered their time and talent, and have committed to selling 7 tickets each to their friends, family, and colleagues for the gala performance!

Theatre Southwest presents 'Shakespeare in Hollywood' by Ken Ludwig directed by Kathy Drum. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast and creative team for its upcoming Without Walls (WoW) production of El Henry, adapted from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One by Culture Clash's Herbert Siguenza, directed by San Diego REPertory Theatre Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse. Presented in association with San Diego REP, El Henry will run June 14 - 29 (press opening: Friday, June 20 at 7:30pm) at SILO, in the vibrant new East Village neighborhood of Makers Quarter.

Members of Naked Shakespeare join student actors from Acorn's eight-month long training program in their final production of the season, directed by Michael Howard, co-founder of the Naked Shakespeare series and a veteran actor and director in the Greater Portland area. Shakespeare's classic play comes to live in an innovative staging that provides a unique perspective on the Dane's dilemma. The production is co-sponsored by the USM Department of English, and performs from May 30 to June 8 at the Wishcamper Center at USM. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!

Spotlighters Theatre is proud to present Edward II by Christopher Marlowe, adapted by Jonas David Grey and directed by Brad Norris, May 30 - June 22, 2014. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm.

Girl falls for boy. Boy falls for girl. But when the malice of an evil duke tears them apart and forces them to flee into the forest, can love still win the day? And more importantly: can a woman still win her man while pretending that she's a he?

Jim Butz will play the expansive role of Prince Hal/King Henry V in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' productions of Henry IV and Henry V, today, May 17 through June 15, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park, it was announced today by Rick Dildine, artistic and executive director of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.

As one of the first fully produced Young Company productions, Fist Stage and their First Stage Theater Academy presents this premiere organization of high school talent in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Milwaukee's Golda Meir School. The production marks a collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts and their program Shakespeare for a New Generation in an effort to expose teens to the wonders of the classic literature.

It's no secret that Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare's most neglected works. Despite its well-known characters (who doesn't know who Cleopatra was?), the play is rarely produced. In a program note, Poor Shadows of Elysium's Artistic Director, Kevin Gates, suggests that the play's decline in popularity stems from the gender politics of the Victorian Era. 'I've always seen this as Cleopatra's play,' says Gates. 'Peter Brook observed that many Victorian actors felt the same, and that's one reason why the play fell out of favor during the Victorian era. No actor worth his salt wanted to be upstaged by an actress.' Gates and Brook are both right. This is indeed Cleopatra's play, especially in Poor Shadow's current production.

Below, watch a scene from the Shakespeare's Globe production of THE TEMPEST, hitting UK cinemas from 28 May 2014!

Although outside it still feels like winter in West Michigan, inside the Dog Story Theatre, it is midsummer! The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company has created a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that is sparkling with vitality and physical energy.

Gin & Tonic Productions Limited's HAMLET comes to Brighton Fringe for a run at the All Saints Centre, Friars' Walk, Lewes, May 26th-27th, 2014, at 4.30pm and 7pm.

Shrunken Shakespeare Company and Pulp Variety Streamcast members starred in new authorized adaptation of IDW's Graphic Novel Kill Shakespeare on Sunday, May 11 at The Kraine Theater. Cast members included Yvonne Cone (Shakespeare & Co, SSC, TBG), Jennifer Martina (SSC, PVS), Sam Parrott (Shakespeare & Co, SSC), Michael Moreno (Shakespeare Forum: Merchant of Venice; Shakespeare & Co.: All's Well...), Sketkh Williams (PVS), Robert Davenport (SSC, UCB), Eric Chase (One Life to Live, SSC, PVS), Amanda Baumler (SSC, PVS), Matt Golden (PVS), Equiano Mosieri (Shakespeare & Co: Romeo and Juliet; Berkshire Theatre Fest), Richard Templeton (PVS), and Adam Luke (PVS).

During the summer month weekends, the Royal Shakespeare Company's outdoor theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, The Dell, will play host to a range of lively student, community and semi-professional productions. Performances kick off on Saturday 7 June, and continue until Sunday 31 August.

To honor Shakespeare's 450th birthday, Bryant Park Corporation and The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot will present 'Hamlet' in Bryant Park today, May 15 to 31, 2014. It is Bryant Park's first Shakespeare production and The Drilling Company's first Shakespeare production outside the municipal parking lot at the corner of Ludlow and Broome Streets, where its intrepid, bare-boned productions have become a New York tradition.

Casting for Shakespeare & Company's upcoming Summer Performance Season was finalized last week which includes a roster of audience favorites, critics' top picks and a bevy of newcomers joining the Company's ranks in this celebratory season in honor of the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. See play titles, casting, Press Openings and full schedules for each production listed below.

Orsino loves Olivia, but Olivia loves Cesario. Only, Cesario is really Viola, and Viola loves Orsino. Mistaken identity, unrequited love, gender bending, fools and bawdy revelry takes the stage in William Shakespeare's best-loved comedy, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, running May 30 to June 22 at City Theatre.

Ensemble Theatre's TheatreCLE concludes its 2013-2014 season with VOODOO MACBETH in collaboration with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Originally written by William Shakespeare and adapted by Orson Welles, the production will be directed by Celeste Cosentino and Tyson Rand, opening May 23. The production plays Thurs.- Sat. at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm through June 8th. Preview performance: May 22nd.

The ninth annual Charlotte Shakespeare Festival opens with a musical, 1960s staging of William Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost from May 29 to June 15 at The Green. The festival moves indoors to the Booth Playhouse from August 7 to 24 with a 1970s staging of Measure for Measure.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC) returns to the Old Zoo at Griffith Park for the 2014 season for itsGRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL with two plays by William Shakespeare: TWELFTH NIGHT and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.

Nicolet High School just outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin had a very special performance of MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM over the weekend. While the show itself was extraordinary, as extraordinary is the school's theater director, Mr. Ken Miller. Mr. Miller marked his final production at Nicolet High School. After 32 years as an example of hard work and dedication to the drama program, Mr. Miller will retire. Students gathered from years gone by to be a part of the final show and honor this man. Many great things were said about him.