ShakesBEER Pub Crawl to Return for the First Time Since 2019
This return is part of an overall re-launch for the company, which has been on hiatus since 2022.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 30, 2025
New York Shakespeare Exchange's ShakesBEER, NYC's Original Shakespearean Pub Crawl, is poised to return for its first outing since 2019. ShakesBEER will play for two consecutive Saturday performances, on November 8 and November 15. This return is part of an overall re-launch for the company, which has been on hiatus since 2022 and has a fresh slate of events and programs in the works for 2026 and beyond.
The event kicks off at Draught 55 (245 East 55th Street), before traveling on to The Horny Ram (951 Second Avenue), The Stag's Head (252 East 51st Street), and Murphy's Irish Pub (986 Second Avenue). Admission is $65, which includes four drink tickets redeemable for beer, wine, and select cocktails at the participating bars. Check-in begins at 2:30pm at Draught 55 for the 3pm kickoff. Each stop lasts 45 minutes, with a Shakespeare scene breaking out at roughly the midway point of the stop. The crawl concludes at 6pm.
The ShakesBEER experience has been described by performers and attendees of past crawls as what it might be like to see Shakespeare performed INSIDE the Groundlings' pit. An ensemble of actors brings a different scene to life at each bar, creating an immersive experience for the audience, some of whom might find themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with Juliet, Rosalind, or Falstaff! This crawl will feature scenes from Henry IV, Pt 1; As You Like It; Twelfth Night; and one surprise mash-up scene.
The featured actors include Brendan Averett (A Midsummer Night's Dream at TFANA), Rebeca Miller (The Bestiary at Ars Nova), Desiree Piñol (Wolf at the Door at NJ Rep), Rahoul Roy (Twelfth Night with Hamlet Isn't Dead), DeAnna Supplee (Comedy of Errors/Two Trains Running with The Acting Company), and J.C. Vasquez (Romeo and Juliet with Actors Shakespeare Company).
The directors are Kelly Monroe Johnston and Kelli Ruttle. The crawl is produced by Artistic Director Cristina Lundy, with assistance from David G. Siller. ShakesBEER is produced as a fundraiser in cooperation with The Theatre Authority.
New York Shakespeare Exchange mines Shakespeare's canon for its powerful insight into the shared joys and struggles at the core of human experience, and channels that insight into programming that strengthens our communities. By using his works as both springboard and toolkit, we invite our fellow New Yorkers to form a relationship of "exchange" with Shakespeare's legacy, creating new opportunities for artistic expression, social connection, and mutual learning.
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