BroadwayWorld's Guide to Free, Outdoor Theatre in New York City for Summer 2019!
Summer is heating up and so is the outdoor theatre line-up!
By: Nicole Rosky Jun. 22, 2019
There's nothing like summer in the city, and what better way to bask in the warm days of July and August than with some outdoor entertainment! There are many ways that you can snag free (yes, free!) tickets to shows this summer, from William Shakespeare to Walt Disney.
Below, check out our all-inclusive guide of everything outside and free this summer in NYC!
Shakespeare in the Park
This summer, The Public Theater continues a 57-year tradition of free theater in Central Park. Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte Theater. Conceived by founder Joseph Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, The Public's Free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company's mission to increase access and engage the community.
Free Shakespeare in the Park 2019 features the romantic comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, starring Danielle Brooks and directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon; and for the first time in 40 years, the war-torn tragedy CORIOLANUS, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.
The Details
Where: The Delacorte Theatre (Central Park)
When: Much Ado About Nothing- Now through-June 23; Coriolanus- July 16- August 11
Click here for tickets!
Public Works
The Public Theater will also continue its Public Works initiative, which seeks to engage the people of New York by making them creators and not just spectators, with the first musical adaptation of HERCULES with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by David Zippel, book by Kristoffer Diaz, and directed by Lear deBessonet, running for seven nights for free, at The Delacorte Theater. Based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, HERCULES will feature over 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs and features choreography by Chase Brock, as well as additional new songs by Menken and Zippel for this Public Works production in addition to six songs from the film's beloved Academy Award-nominated score.
HERCULES will feature Equity actors Jelani Alladin (Hercules), Roger Bart (Hades), Jeff Hiller (Panic), James Monroe Iglehart (Phil), Ramona Keller (Thalia), Tamika Lawrence(Calliope), Krysta Rodriguez (Meg), and Rema Webb (Terpsichore); along with a special featured performance by 2019 Tony Honor Award recipient Broadway Inspirational Voices, celebrating their 25th Silver Anniversary this year.
The Details
Where: The Delacorte Theatre (Central Park)
When: August 31- September 8
Click here for tickets!
Broadway in Bryant Park
Broadway in Bryant Park is back! The 2019 program will bring the best of Broadway together for free performances for six consecutive Thursdays on the Bryant Park stage, located at 6th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. Lawn seating is first-come, first-serve. New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple are invited to come at 11 a.m. every Thursday with performances from the very best of Broadway running from 12:30 p.m. EST - 1:30 p.m. EST.
The summer 2019 line-up has not yet been announced, but check back later for updates!
Where: Bryant Park
When: July 11- August 15
Click here for more info
Broadway in the Boros
Broadway in the Boros is back, featuring free noonday performances by cast members and musicians of hit Broadway musicals in neighborhoods throughout New York City. Back for a fourth consecutive summer, this year's Broadway in the Boros is bringing songs from four 2019 Tony-nominated shows as well as perennial award-winning favorites to new neighborhoods citywide, in public plazas that have deep resonance for the city and those who live nearby.
Coming up later this summer will be performances from the casts of Be More Chill, The Prom, Wicked, Beautiful, Beetlejuice and more!
The Details
Where: Various locations across NYC's five boroughs
When: Now through July 26
Click here for a full schedule of events
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
This popular New York summer institution is now in its 25th year, and will be presenting Romeo and Juliet, directed by Lukas Raphael. Its concept--presenting Shakespeare plays with a "poor theater" aesthetic in a working parking lot--is now widely imitated around the US and around the world, with productions as far away as New Zealand.
The Details
Where: The Clemente Parking Lot (114 Norfolk Street)
When: July 11-27
Click here for more info
Hudson Warehouse
Hudson Warehouse has kicked off their 16th season with the passionate story of star-crossed lovers from ancient history in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, starring Ben Farmer and company member Emily Sarah Cohn. Company member George K. Wells directs this production. Mr. Wells directed and played the title role in Hudson Warehouse's 2018 production of Hamlet.
Next up will beThe Man in the Iron Mask adapted by Susane Lee. Adapted from the classic by Alexandre Dumas and directed by Nicholas Martin-Smith, The Man in the Iron Mask is the final installment of Dumas's 'The D'Artagnan Romances' trilogy, which Hudson Warehouse began in 2017.
Closing the summer season will be The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.Mistress Page and Mistress Ford conspire to humiliate Shakespeare's much-loved character, Sir John Falstaff, set against the backdrop of a 1960s resort hotel in the "Borscht Belt."
The Details
Where: Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park (West 89th Street and Riverside Drive)When: Antony and Cleopatra- Now through June 30; The Man in the Iron Mask-July 4- 28; The Merry Wives of Windsor- August 1-25
Click here for more info
Classical Theatre of Harlem
Back for its seventh summer season of free theater performances, affectionately known as the "Uptown Shakespeare in the Park," the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH), established in 1999, will return to Marcus Garvey Park with a work that continues the company's investigation of the current political and social climate via the Greek classics.
CTH kicks off its 20th Anniversary Season with The Bacchae. Inspired by Bryan Doerries' new version of Euripides' classic Greek tragedy and directed by CTH Associate Artistic Director Carl Cofield.
The Details
Where: Richard Rodgers Amphitheater (Marcus Garvey Park)
When: July 6-28
Click here for more info
The Drilling Company
This summer, The Drilling Company will present Othello- the classic tale of betrayal, race, friendship, and loss is reinterpreted through a contemporary lens in this fresh exploration of Shakespeare's devastating tragedy.
The Details
Where: Bryant Park
When: August 20- September 2
Click here for more info
New York Classical Theatre
Celebrate New York Classical Theatre's 20th Anniversary with free performances of The Importance of Being Earnest. Considered one of the great comedies in the English language, Wilde's 1895 classic is a satire of social manners and obligations in Victorian England. In New York Classical's production, the entire cast will swap roles (and genders) every other performance to explore the power dynamics in the script.
The Details
Where: Carl Schurz Park (East 86th Street)
When: June 25-30
Click here for more info
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