Nearly 50 free Shakespeare performances coming to Milwaukee and state parks this summer

Once again, Milwaukee audiences and Wisconsin state park visitors will enjoy free outdoor Shakespeare productions this summer, thanks to Optimist Theatre, also known as Shakespeare in the Park, and Summit Players Theatre.

These newbie-friendly productions use small numbers of actors performing shortened versions of Shakespeare's texts.

Summit Players Theatre will perform the comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a number of Wisconsin state parks.

Optimist is taking a new approach in 2024. Under the title Optimist Presents: Shakespeare in the City, it plans to present nearly 50 performances, drawing on the talents of three other groups.

Optimist Presents: Shakespeare in the City

Here are details on the four shows that Optimist plans to present in Milwaukee and neighboring suburbs in summer 2024:

"Hamlet (One Woman as Everyone)," a one-actor production starring Libby Amato and directed by Michael Stebbins. 5 p.m. June 29, Humboldt Park, 3000 S. Howell Ave.; 5:30 p.m. June 30, Sherman Park, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd.; 5 p.m. July 7, Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8800 W. Blue Mound Road, Wauwatosa; 5:30 p.m. July 13 and 14, Grant Park, 100 Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee; 5 p.m. July 21, Lincoln Park, 1301 W. Hampton Ave.; 4 p.m. July 27, Sherman Park, 3000 N. Sherman Blvd.; 5 p.m. July 28, Humboldt Park; 5 p.m. Aug. 10, Lake Park, 2975 N. Lake Park Rd.; 5 p.m. Aug. 11, Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water St. It's a 90-minute show.

"Another Midsummer Night's Dream," a 90-minute show written and directed by Liz Shipe and performed by The Available Players. 4:30 p.m. June 15, Wisconsin Lutheran College; 5 p.m. June 23, Lincoln Park; 1 p.m. June 29, Humboldt Park; 11:30 a.m. June 20, Sherman Park; 3 p.m. July 13 and 12:30 p.m. July 14, Grant Park; 12:30 p.m. July 21, Lincoln Park; 4 p.m. July 27, Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St.; 4 p.m. July 28, Sherman Park; 1:30 p.m. Aug. 10, Lake Park.

"The Comedy of Romeo & Juliet, Kinda Sorta," a 90-minute show written and directed by Patrick Schmitz and performed by Schmitz 'n Giggles Shakesparody Players. 4:30 p.m. June 16, Wisconsin Lutheran College; 5 p.m. June 22 and 1 p.m. June 23, Lincoln Park; 11 a.m. June 29, Humboldt Park; 2:30 p.m. June 30, Sherman Park; 12:30 p.m. July 13 and 3 p.m. July 14, Grant Park; 1 p.m. July 27, Washington Park; 1 p.m. July 28, Sherman Park.

"Macbeth," performed by Pocket Park Puppet Players. This is a 45-minute puppet show, no reservations necessary. 3 p.m. June 15 and 16, Wisconsin Lutheran College; noon June 22, Honey Creek Park, 8405 W. National Ave., West Allis; 4 p.m. June 22, Clarke Square Park (with Spanish-language interpreter and post-performance Q&A in Spanish), 2330 W. Vieau Place; 1 and 3 p.m. June 23, Walker Square Park (with Spanish-language interpreter and post-performance Q&A in Spanish), 1031 S. Ninth St.; 2 and 4 p.m. June 29 and 4:30 p.m. June 30, Sherman Park (with a puppet workshop at 3 p.m.); 2 p.m. July 7, Garden District Community Garden, 3932-3998 S. Sixth St,; 4 p.m. July 7, Morgan Triangle Park, 3404 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; 11 a.m. July 20, Beerline Trail; 4:30 p.m. July 20 and 3:45 p.m. July 21, Lincoln Park; 3 p.m. July 27, Washington Park; 2:30 p.m. July 28, Humboldt Park; 10 a.m. Aug. 10, Alice's Gardens; 2136 N. 21st St.; 12:30 p.m. Aug. 10, Lake Park.

The schedule is organized so people can catch several productions in the same place and date. For example, a person could see all four shows plus a Ko-Thi Dance performance on June 30 at Sherman Park.

Ko-Thi and Early Music Now will perform at some of the Optimist events. "The Play’s the Thing," a program of theater games and adventures, will be staged on selected dates at some sites.

Optimist executive director Susan Scot Fry encourages people to register for "Hamlet," "Another Midsummer" and "Romeo & Juliet" performances at the Optimist website (optimisttheatre.org/2024season.html). That helps Optimist estimate audience size and also allows the company to email updates.

Show times and dates are subject to change and, of course, are weather permitting.

For info about any of these events, visit optimisttheatre.org.

Summit Players will perform 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in Wisconsin state parks

With a cast of six actors, Summit will give 18 performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in 17 different state parks this summer. Director Maureen Kilmurry has condensed Shakespeare's comedy to about 75 minutes.

Prior to each performance, Summit presents a 45-minute workshop on the play and its artistry; workshops start about 90 minutes before performance time. Summit suggests its shows work best for people 8 and older; younger audience members are welcome, but some of the program may over their heads.

Summit performs around the state. Scheduled dates close to the Milwaukee area include 7 p.m. June 14, Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Road, Kansasville; 7 p.m. June 21, Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St., Milwaukee; 7 p.m. July 13, Kohler-Andrae State Park, 1020 Beach Park Lane, Sheboygan; 5 p.m. July 28, Kettle Moraine State Forest Pike Lake Unit, 3544 Kettle Moraine Road, Hartford; 7 p.m. July 29, Havenwoods State Forest.

For info on Summit's 2024 performances, including scheduled shows in other parts of the state, visit summitplayerstheatre.com or facebook.com/summitplayerstheatre.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Free 2024 Shakespeare shows coming to Milwaukee, Wisconsin state parks