Bay Street Theater Presents Outdoor Readings of TWELFTH NIGHT This Weekend

The Bay Street Shakespeare Initiative and Hamptons Shakespeare Festival are pleased to announce a partnership to present outdoor readings of TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL, by William Shakespeare this weekend, August 14 and 15 at Mashashimuet Park. The two readings are free to the public and will start at 7 pm.

A VIP Benefit reading will take place on August 16 at a private, oceanfront estate. Contact Kim Fink at 631-725-0818 Ext. 112 for the VIP Benefit. Sponsored also in part by Mashashimuet Park.

TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL is Shakespeare's hilarious romantic comedy, filled with unrequited love, disguise, and cross dressing. The readings will be presented without intermission and will run under two hours. They will feature direction by Bay Street's Artistic Director, Scott Schwartz, and original music and sound design by Hamptons Shakespeare Festival's Artistic Director, David M. Brandenburg.

AUGUST 14-15
FREE STAGED READING FOR THE COMMUNITY
On Friday and Saturday, August 14-15, Bay Street and Hamptons Shakespeare Festival will co-host The Bay Street Shakespeare Initiative's second annual performance, Twelfth Night, beginning at 7 pm, at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor. This reading is offered to the community at no charge. There will be seating in bleachers, but guests are invited to bring their own chairs, picnics and blankets to enjoy this special production under the stars.

AUGUST 16
VIP Benefit
A third performance will be a VIP benefit on Sunday, August 16 to be held at a private oceanfront estate. The event includes a reception with the cast, and the evening begins at 6:30 pm with cocktails followed by the Twelfth Night reading at 7 pm. Contact Kim Fink at 631-725-0818 Ext. 112 to purchase tickets.

"Last summer, the Bay Street Shakespeare Initiative's outdoor reading of The Tempest was one of the highlights of our season," says Scott Schwartz, Artistic Director of Bay Street Theater. "I'm so pleased this summer to be partnering with the Hamptons Shakespeare Festival, as well as continuing our association with Mashashimuit Park, to present Twelfth Night, one of the Bard's most romantic and delightful comedies. Considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time, Shakespeare's plays are as entertaining and relevant today as they have ever been. With this presentation and new partnership, Bay Street Theater continues its commitment to bringing captivating, professional classical theater to the East End."

David M. Brandenburg, Hamptons Shakespeare Festival's Artistic Director, commented, "We are very excited by the new partnership with Bay Street and look forward to producing Shakespeare together." Hamptons Shakespeare Festival produced 10 seasons of free outdoor Shakespeare in Montauk and Southampton, and since 2006 has focused on touring theater for young audiences, educational programs, and co-productions.

The Bay Street Shakespeare Initiative is offering supporters the opportunity to be a patron of the world of Shakespeare by sponsoring a character in Twelfth Night, as part of the Join the Company campaign. Sponsors will be able to consult with the actors and will receive complimentary passes to the VIP Benefit on August 16, as well as an opportunity to be photographed with the cast members playing their sponsored characters. Contact Bay Street's Development office at 631-725-0818 for details.

Hamptons Shakespeare Festival, a nonprofit organization, has provided cultural and educational programs on the East End since 1996. Its free outdoor productions have been seen by tens of thousands of individuals and families. It has employed hundreds of actors, musicians, technicians, administrators, and others. And its educational programs have reached thousands of children from Montauk to Manhattan.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. We serve as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.

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