Shakespeare in the Parking Lot's 30th Anniversary with MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM
From July 17 to August 2, free performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Hamilton Clancy, will be offered.
By: Emmy Rice Jun. 21, 2025
The Drilling Company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (SITPL) is presenting its 30th season this summer. Its concept--presenting free Shakespeare plays with a "poor theater" aesthetic in a working parking lot--is now widely imitated around the US and around the world, with productions as far away as New Zealand. From July 17 to August 2, free performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Hamilton Clancy, will be offered in the schoolyard/ parking lot of Lower East Side Prep, 145 Stanton Street (at Norfolk/Rivington Streets).
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a tale of love and enchantment that is simultaneously set in the woodland and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of the moon. This adaptation honors 30 years of engaging the Lower East Side by re-rooting a canonical play in the very streets that have witnessed cultural collisions, transformations and dreams of generations. Imagine Athens as the City's bureaucracy facing encroaching gentrification, The Woods as the Lower East Side's wild nightlife, the Fairies as the area's street spirits, punks and night workers, and the Rude Mechanicals (Bottom and friends) a troupe of New York City artists who have day labor jobs between artist gigs. They gather to rehearse their "play" in a parking lot. Their earnest attempts to create art echo the mission of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: doing theater with few resources but big heart.
The Drilling Company, founded by Hamilton Clancy, is comprised of an ensemble/rep company not unlike Shakespeare's company. Its members are veterans of the Off and Off-Off Broadway scene whose on-camera appearances commonly populate everything from streaming series to summer blockbusters. This year's cast includes longtime SITPL veterans Alessandro Colla, Una Clancy, David Marantz, Evangeline Fontaine, Lizabeth Allen, Andy Rowell, and Patrick Hart along with newcomers Miranda Reilly, Lia Bonfilio, Chris Martel, Marion Stenfort, Aria Martinelli, Adama Joy Sall, Curtiss Howard, Jasmine Gonzalez , Thammie Laine Quach, Moon Cat, Leah Schwartz and Kaleb Baker. Assistant Director is Kathleen Simmonds.
Hamilton Clancy (director) is founding Artistic Director of The Drilling Company and the most prolific director and producer of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. He has appeared in SITPL productions as Hamlet, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Petruchio and Benedick, among others. He’s been seen in film and television as Kowalski in "Orange is the New Black" (SAG Award Best Ensemble Seasons 2&3), Tom in "One Dollar" and Peck in the Coen Brothers' “Burn After Reading.” Other on-camera credits include "Blue Bloods," "Bull," "Billions," "Mindhunter" and "Gotham."
Admission is free. Chairs are provided on a first come, first served basis and audience members are welcome to bring their own. Since the performance is outdoors, masks are not required but audience members may use their own discretion. For info on this and other upcoming Drilling Company productions call 212-873-9050 or visit www.drillingcompany.org.
Rainout notices for Shakespeare in the Parking Lot will be posted on www.drillingcompany.org.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
In 2014, SITPL lost its parking lot location of 20 years when gentrification struck: the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area gave way to a giant mixed-used development. So the attraction moved to the parking lot of The Clemente, on Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets. Last summer, with that location under construction, SITPL transferred to the parking lot adjoining 145 Stanton Street (entrance on Rivington Street between Norfolk and Suffolk Streets), where it will now perform for the second year. It is a short walk from the municipal parking lot where the annual Free Shakespeare festival originated.
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