Commonwealth Shakespeare's SHAKESPEARE AT FENWAY Set for Today

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) will celebrate its 20th year with a 'home run' gift to the City of Boston today, September 19, 2014 (7:30pm), - Shakespeare at Fenway. This is a first-ever event of this kind to be presented at a major league ballpark.

CSC will offer a limited number "general admission" seats free of charge to the public and local non-profit organizations including CSC's key educational partners. "All Star" tickets grant preferred seating and cost $35 each. A limited number of special "MVP" tickets, featuring priority seating and access to an exclusive post-performance reception with the cast, support the next 20 years of CSC's service to the community and are currently available for $125 each. Tickets will go on sale Friday, August 22, 2014 at 12pm, and can be purchased at redsox.com/shakespeare, by calling (877) REDSOX-9, or by visiting the Fenway Park ticket office. Fans with disabilities can call (877) REDSOX-9 to purchase accessible seating. The Red Sox' TTY number for hearing-impaired fans is (617) 226-6644. Generous event support has been provided to Commonwealth Shakespeare Company by Babson College, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Foundation. Visit commshakes.org for performance updates.

Directed by CSC's Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, CSC will bring a starting line-up of local and national celebrities to the iconic ballpark for an evening of famous scenes from William Shakespeare's plays. Currently scheduled to appear are actor/writer Mike O'Malley(Glee, Yes Dear, Shameless), actress Kerry O'Malley (CSC's Twelfth Night, Broadway's Into the Woods, A &E Those Who Kill), and actor Neal McDonough (Suits, Desperate Housewives, Band of Brothers).

"All the ballpark's a stage, and all the men and women merely players," said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino. "We look forward to welcoming the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company to Fenway Park as they perform scenes from one of the world's pre-eminent dramatists. We hope our 'lyric little bandbox of a ballpark' will be the perfect backdrop to the plays of the Bard and the performances of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's talented artists."

"Shakespeare at Fenway builds on a long and productive partnership between Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and the City of Boston," Mayor Martin J. Walsh noted. "From free performances on Boston Common to workshops in our public schools, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has made these great works accessible to all. Thanks to their generosity, even more citizens and non-profit groups will now be able to experience Shakespeare at this spectacular evening inside the legendary Fenway Park."

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is dedicated to bringing the works of William Shakespeare in vital and contemporary productions to the people of Boston and to exploring Shakespeare's plays with local youth in innovative and creative ways. Best known for its annual free performances on Boston Common, CSC also presents several free play-reading events during the year-Theatre in the Rough, Shakespeare & Law, and Shakespeare & Leadership. The Company fulfills its educational mission with training programs for both high school students and pre-professional actors through its Summer Academy. Throughout the year, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company partners with area high schools and Boys & Girls Clubs to provide in and after-school theatre activities to inner-city youth. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is the Theatre in Residence at Babson College. For more information visit commshakes.org.