William Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE has experienced intermittent popularity. With a complex structure, the play is a tragedy, comedy, and romance. Shakespeare draws large inspiration from Robert Greene's Pandosto, and some scholars claim the play is a parallel to the fall of Anne Boleyn. As we bid farewell to the longest winter in recent memory, Houston's Stark Naked Theatre Company is producing a whimsical and surprisingly touching take on THE WINTER'S TALE.

We Players, in partnership with the National Park Service / Golden Gate National Recreation Area will present a site-integrated production of Shakespeare's Macbeth at Fort Point, the civil war era fortress located beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The production previews May 30 - June 1, then runs June 5 - June 29, 2014, Thursday through Sunday.

Casting is announced for Seattle Shakespeare Company's free Wooden O productions of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Julius Caesar which start performances on Thursday, July 10. Both productions will perform in park venues throughout King County (please see attached schedule) and then transfer to Walla Walla, WA as part of Shakespeare Walla Walla.

What would happen if, at the end of Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet woke up to discover they were stuck in their own Personal Hell, listening to Tony from West Side Story sing 'Maria' for eternity? And in order to escape, they'd need to suffer through a production of their life story performed by the other inhabitants of Hell - Shakespeare's dead characters. Matt Ritchey explores the story line in his new play Romeo and Juliet in Hell, featured at this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The New American Shakespeare Tavern will present The Comedy of Errors, directed by Andrew Houchins, May 9-June 2014. There will be a $15 preview tonight, May 8.

The award-winning Boomerang Theatre Company and Artistic Director Tim Errickson, are excited to announce A Boomerang Summer in the Park, where two of the most beloved works by William Shakespeare will be presented in Central Park & Bryant Park Shakespeare at Bryant Park, as part of the company's 15 years presenting exceptional outdoor theatre. A Boomerang Summer in the Park includes, Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, directed by John Greenleaf (The Acting Company, Steppenwolf, Australian Elizabethan Theatre), presented in Central Park (69th Street and Central Park West), June 21-July 20, 2014; and Shakespeare's LOVE'S LABOR'S LOST, directed by Cailin Heffernan (Loveless, TX), presented in Bryant Park (between 40th and 42nd St & Fifth and Sixth Avenues), August 14-30, 2014.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents William Shakespeare's epic Henry V, directed by celebrated British director Christopher Luscombe in his Chicago debut. In a rousing finale to the 2014 season, the play that inaugurated Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986 on the rooftop of Lincoln Park's Red Lion Pub comes to the Courtyard Theater for the first time. Shakespeare's powerful history play explores the consequences of war and the capacity of language to inspire and transform. Leading the troops as the charismatic, young monarch is Harry Judge in the titular role. Henry V will be performed in CST's Courtyard Theater April 29 through June 15, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at highlights below!

The race is on to perform William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on 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!

Midsommer Flight announces its third summer season of Shakespeare in the Park with the delightful comedy Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare and directed by Midsommer Flight's Founder and Producing Artistic Director Beth Wolf. Dedicated to presenting outdoor performances of Shakespeare's plays, Midsommer Flight is a proud arts partner with the Chicago Park District.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The New American Shakespeare Tavern will present The Comedy of Errors, directed by Andrew Houchins, May 9-June 2014. There will be a $15 preview on May 8.

Inspired by noted linguist David Crystal's YouTube videos, Kate Pogue decided to bring an original pronunciation performance of Shakespeare to Houston. This summer, she and UH-D's O'Kane Theatre are remounting their popular production of JULIUS CAESAR, giving Houston audiences another chance to experience this novel approach to Shakespearean plays.

This May, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to 'Complete the Canon' by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. The final play needed to 'Complete the Canon' is William Shakespeare's 'The Two Noble Kinsmen', which CSC will open tonight, May 2, 2014. This production is generously sponsored by Charles Parsons and Bill McKim and the Canon Club. The design sponsor is PNC Bank.

Stark Naked Theatre Company concludes its third season with a compelling production of one of William Shakespeare's most fascinating plays, The Winter's Tale. Directed by acclaimed Houston actor/director Philip Lehl, The Winter's Tale opens tonight, May 2nd and runs through May 16th at STUDIO 101.

Stark Naked Theatre Company is closing their 2013-2014 season with a production of William Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. As a company that emphasizes text over staging, it is always a treat to see Stark Naked bring works to life on the stage, and with eight cast members playing dozens of roles, this production seems to be no exception. While it has been dubbed one of Shakespeare's most misunderstood plays, THE WINTER'S TALE is sure to have something for everyone, as it is wrought with elements of tragedy, comedy, and romance. Taking time out of their busy schedule, Philip Lehl, who is directing this production as well as stepping into the role of Leontes, and cast member Matt Lents sat down with us to talk about programming Shakespeare for modern audiences and what Houston can expect from Stark Naked Theatre Company's THE WINTER'S TALE.

This past year, over 16,000 high school student competed to become a regional finalist, and win a chance to come to New York City. 55 regional high school finalists from 28 states across America will descend on NYC to compete for the grand prize of attending the Summer Training Program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic of Arts in London.

In celebration of its 30th Free Shakespeare in Zilker Park, The City of Austin, Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theatre, in coordination with Austin Shakespeare, present As You Like It. The show brings new actors and company alumni together in a RenFaire-style As You Like It. Performances run 8 pm Thurs-Sun., from today, May 1 - May 25, with a preview on April 30.

Wyrd Theatre, a fledgling theatre company in New York City is launching its inaugural production and making a splash in the classical theatre community. Their production Titus Andronicus; A Jolly Romp Through Rome is Titus Andronicus as you've never seen it before. Prepare yourself for an night of blood, battle, and betrayal as the Wyrd Theater Travelling Circus flips, slips, and 'Alakazams!' their way through one of Shakespeare's first and worst. GASP at the incredible feats of derring-do! THRILL at the mesmerizing illusions! DON'T try the pie!

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 May 22 at The Gym at Judson with opening night set for Thursday, May 29.

Most people never get the opportunity to experience theatre life on the road firsthand but now, thanks to Kevin Spacey and director Sam Mendes, everyone is able to go along for an amazing ride in the new documentary, NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage. The 90-minute film follows twenty British and American actors on a whirlwind ten month international tour of Richard III and will be available for digital download beginning May 2.

In celebration of its 30th Free Shakespeare in Zilker Park, The City of Austin, Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theatre, in coordination with Austin Shakespeare, present As You Like It. The show brings new actors and company alumni together in a RenFaire-style As You Like It. Performances run 8 pm Thurs-Sun., from May 1 - May 25, with a preview on April 30.

The Arc Theatre follows last year's 4-star and critically acclaimed "Twelfth Night" with Shakespeare's witty and dangerous "Much Ado About Nothing." "Much Ado" represents Arc's fifth year in residence at Shakespeare on the Ridge, and will be performed July 12th through August 3rd, 2014, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7pm at Ridgeville Park, 908 Seward St in Evanston, IL. Admission is free. The show will run approximately 90 minutes

The worldwide celebration of Shakespeare's 450th Birthday came to New York at 54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, in a concert of the award-winningLike You Like It, the musical based on the Bard's As You Like It set at a mall in the 1980s. Scroll down for photos from the concert!

Friends, Houstonians, and theatre fans, lend me your eyes. University of Houston-Downtown is remounting their original pronunciation staging of William Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR. This production will also be traveling to the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe festival this August. Recently, I got to speak with Kate Pogue and Luke Fedell about this novel experiment in language.

In MACBETH, Brett Bailey gives us Shakespeare by way of Giuseppe Verdi's opera, filtered through Third World Bunfight's trademark post-colonialist, avant-garde manifesto.

A Shakespearean classic directed by Sheila Daniels. Sounds like a dead lock winner right? Unfortunately Seattle Shakespeare Company's current production of "King Lear", while having some moments of power, ultimately left me wanting. Wanting for what? That's tough to say. There were so many little things needling me about the production that didn't quite work that they almost overshadowed what did. But ultimately it amounted to an inconsistency of pacing and performance that left me, like Lear, out in the cold facing the storm (such as it is but we'll get to that later).