ShakesBEER at Sanger Hall

ShakesBEER is headed to Queens on May 30 & June 6

New York, New York — New York Shakespeare Exchange (NYSX) has announced that their next round of ShakesBEER, NYC’s Original Shakespearean Pub Crawl, will play in Sunnyside, Queens for two consecutive Saturday performances, on May 30 and June 6. Last seen in Midtown this past November, ShakesBEER has been a beloved mainstay of NYSX programming since 2011. This outing in Queens is part of a larger shift for the company, as they look to expand the reach of their events and programs across more neighborhoods throughout all five boroughs.

The event kicks off at Sanger Hall (48-20 Skillman Avenue), before traveling on to The Lowery Bar & Kitchen (43-02 43rd Avenue), Maggie Mae’s (41-15 Queens Boulevard), and Mad For Chicken (43-22 Queens Boulevard). Admission is $65, which includes four drink tickets redeemable for beer, wine, and select cocktails at the participating bars. Check-in begins at 2:30pm at Sanger Hall for the 3pm kickoff. Each stop lasts 45 minutes, with a Shakespeare scene breaking out at roughly the midway point of the stop. The crawl concludes at 6pm.

Tickets are available at the link at the top of this listing; booking in advance is strongly recommended. Any tickets still available by check-in time on performance days will be available for cash-only purchase.

The ShakesBEER experience has been described by performers and attendees of past crawls as what it might be like to see Shakespeare performed INSIDE the Groundlings’ pit. An ensemble of actors brings a different scene to life at each bar, creating an immersive experience for the audience, some of whom might find themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with Juliet, Puck, or Falstaff! This crawl will feature scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The featured actors include Alisha Espinosa (Seize the King at Classical Theatre of Harlem), Sean Hinckle (FBI on CBS), Sarah Kinsey (Dexter: Original Sin on Showtime/Paramount+), Anna Paratore (Christian Ethics Committee at The Chain Theatre), Jack Utrata (Freedom’s Last Stand with Peculiar Works Project/Target Margin), and Shawn Williams (Brave New Work with NYSX/CRY HAVOC).

The directors are Nathaniel P. Claridad (Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater) and Anthony Michael Lopez (Othello on Broadway). The crawl is produced by Artistic Director Cristina Lundy, with assistance from Sean Hinckle and Kelly Monroe Johnston.

ShakesBEER is produced as a fundraiser in cooperation with The Theatre Authority.

New York Shakespeare Exchange mines Shakespeare’s canon for its powerful insight into the shared joys and struggles at the core of human experience, and channels that insight into programming that strengthens our communities. By using his works as both springboard and toolkit, we invite our fellow New Yorkers to form a relationship of “exchange” with Shakespeare’s legacy, creating new opportunities for artistic expression, social connection, and mutual learning.