Three Plays Announced For Shakespeare In The Park

Madison Shakespeare Company today announced the anchor programming for its upcoming Shakespeare In the Park event, to be held Saturday April 23 from 11 AM to 8 PM at Madison's Rennebohm Park Shelter, 115 N. Eau Claire Avenue. MSC will present readings of three Shakespeare plays, accompanied by community programming. The event commemorates the date of William Shakespeare's death in 1616, and is part of the theater organization's 10th anniversary celebrations.

At 11:30 AM, a staged reading of Romeo and Juliet will begin. The romantic tragedy that needs no introduction is one of the most widely-produced works written in English.

At 2:00 PM, a staged reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream will begin. The comedy about the parallels of lovers' quarrels in the world of magic and the world of humankind, bridged by the unlikely transformation of Nick Bottom from earnest laborer and amateur actor into a queen's consort has never been presented in full by Madison Shakespeare Company.

At 4:00 PM, a staged reading of Henry the Sixth: A Tiger's Heart will begin. Presented by special arrangement with Ithaca Shakespeare Company and Stephen Ponton, this version combines the three parts of Shakespeare's first epic history into a single play. These are rarely presented in South Central Wisconsin, giving listeners a rare opportunity to see characters ranging from Joan of Arc to the future King Richard III take shape.

Interested performers may sign up for an opportunity to read in one or more plays on the Madison Shakespeare Company website.

Additional details about the Shakespeare In the Park event are available at https://madisonshakespeare.org/anniversary2022.