South Brooklyn Shakespeare Announces Free Performances of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Now in its third year presenting free Shakespeare in the streets of Park Slope, South Brooklyn Shakespeare (SBS) has announced three FREE performances of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing in Park Slope, two as part of the neighborhood's series of Summer Strolls (7/25 and 8/15) and one outside The Old Stone House (8/1).

This year, the production will present an Equity cast of 15 actors and expand to feature amplification and full costumes (set in the late 1800s). Additional support comes via a mentorship with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

South Brooklyn Shakespeare founders/producers/directors Paul Molnar and Dee Byrd-Molnar have reorganized SBS as a 501(c)(3) this season. They started doing free outdoor Shakespeare two years ago with SBS' first production, A Midsummer Night's Dream in a parking lot on Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue, drawing an audience of 300. Last year, they did three performances of Romeo & Juliet in the streets of Park Slope.

It's been their dream to bring free outdoor Shakespeare to the neighborhood, say the Molnars who own South, a bar on Fifth Avenue and 17th Street. "We wanted to give back to our community and came up with the idea for South Brooklyn Shakespeare," says Paul Molnar. After the summer, SBS has plans to bring the classic text into a local school (their pilot program will be at PS 821 Sunset Park Prep) in a way that makes it feel inclusive and relevant. "We favor a hands-on approach to Shakespeare, doing workshops while presenting the play, all in partnership with the English and Drama Departments."

The productions of Much Ado About Nothing that are part of Park Slope's Fifth Avenue Summer Strolls are set for 6:30, with bars and restaurants on the street serving drinks and dancing permitted outdoors from 5-9pm each night. For all productions, playgoers can bring their own chairs and blankets; a limited number of folding chairs will be available.

South Brooklyn Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing:

• Saturday, July 25th at 6 :30pm on 5th Ave between17th and 18th Streets -- Summer Stroll. (R to Prospect Avenue)
• Saturday, August 1st at 8:00pm at The Old Stone House in Washington Park, 3rd Street between 4th and 5th Avenue (R to Union Street)
• Saturday August 15th at 6:30pm on 5th Ave and Dean Street -- Summer Stroll (B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, 5, LIRR to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center