Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Tours SHAKESPEARE ON LOVE, Aug. 7-19

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) is pleased to announce the return of Tour of the Parks running August 7 through August 19. As part of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's educational outreach program, Shakespeare on Love will be touring several local parks to encourage youth and families to discover the beauty of Shakespeare's work and the magic of live theater. Directed by Ryan Maxwell, Shakespeare on Love merges a selection of sonnets, scenes and songs inspired by William Shakespeare into a joyful celebration of language and love that is sure to delight audiences of all ages. The show will be performed by pre-professional actors enrolled as apprentices in CSC's first inaugural Summer Academy.

"Tour of the Parks is a great way to bring the arts into our city's neighborhoods and introduce
Shakespeare to the young people of Boston," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "Our ongoing partnership with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is a shining example of reaching the goals we set forth when we created ParkARTS 14 years ago. To be able to showcase the works of the Bard of Avon on Boston Common and in three neighborhood parks is a gift that will stay with our audiences for years to come."

Shakespeare on Love will be performed at Christopher Columbus Park in Boston, MA (Atlantic Ave & Cross St), Jeep Jones Playground in Roxbury, MA; O'Day Playground in the South End (Tremont & W. Newton Sts); and at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common (Tremont & Winter Streets). Tour of the Parks is held in conjunction with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department as part of Boston's ParkARTS program supported by Bank of America. All shows are free and open to the public of all ages. More detailed information on the cast of Shakespeare on Love and a schedule of performances can be found at www.commshakes.org.

Ryan Maxwell joined CSC last year as Assistant Director to Steve Maler on The Comedy of Errors and Director of CSC's touring production, Shakespeare on Love. At the end of the summer, Ryan joined CSC's year-round staff as Artistic Associate. A graduate of Brown University, Ryan served as Assistant Director and Operations Manager at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, RI from 2003 to 2009. This past Fall, Ryan returned to 2nd Story to direct Ed Shea (Artistic Director at 2nd Story and former longtime member of the acting company at Trinity Rep in Providence) in I Am My Own Wife, a production that was named on of the 10 best theatre productions of 2009 by the Providence Phoenix. Favorite 2nd Story productions as Assistant Director: The Learned Ladies, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, The Little Foxes, The Marriage of Bette & Boo, Auntie Mame, A Flea in her Ear, Red Scare on Sunset, Fuddy Meers, and The Miracle Worker. Favorite roles at 2nd Story: Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream; Lawrence in For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls; Scrub in The Beaux' Stratagem; Sammy in Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Directing credits at Brown: Richard III, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Vagina Monologues.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, best known for its annual free performances on Boston Common, is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the works of William Shakespeare in vital and contemporary productions to the people of Boston. In addition to the annual Boston Common production, the company offers a summer "Tour of the Parks," with a Shakespeare inspired program designed for families as well as other Shakespeare-related programming throughout the summer. Previous productions include Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Henry V, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar.

For more information, or to make a contribution to support the work of CSC, visit www.commshakes.org.

As caretaker of the city's open space, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department oversees more than 2,200 acres of parkland including 225 parks and playgrounds, 65 squares, urban woodlands, street trees, three active cemeteries, 16 historic burying grounds, and two golf courses. In addition to maintaining the historic integrity of famous landmarks such as Boston Common, The Public Garden, and other parks comprising Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace, the Department services and upgrades facilities ranging from tot lots to the 500-acre Franklin Park. The Department programs a wide range of sports, community events, and live entertainment in the parks under its jurisdiction. For more information, visit www.cityofboston.gov/parks or visit the department on Facebook.

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