Michael Urie, Dana Ivey & More Set for Shakespeare Sonnet Slam in Central Park

Many of the special guest readers have been announced for the Shakespeare Birthday Sonnet Slam on 4/22 in Central Park which include stars of stage & screen Michael Urie, Dana Ivey & Frances Barber (both starring Off-Broadway in The School for Scandal), Ryan Spahn, Wyatt Fenner, Jenny Lee Mitchell ("Mad Jenny"), Carra Patterson, Shakespeare Illustrator Jean Noel Vandaele, NYC Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh and Deputy British Consul General Nick Astbury.

The 6th Annual Shakespeare's Birthday Sonnet Slam will be held on Friday, April 22nd beginning at 1:00pm at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. Free for the public to attend, the Sonnet Slam features 154 readers of all ages performing all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets in numerical order. 2016 also marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616. The Sonnet Slam welcomes Sonneteers from all cultures. It is a mix of both amateur and professional Shakespeareans.

The completely original, hit musical comedy, Something Rotten! will be kicking-off the Sonnet Slam this year with a musical performance of "Hard to be the Bard" by cast member Eric Sciotto (Broadway credits: Annie Get Your Gun, Aida, Sweet Smell of Success, Sweet Charity and 42nd Street among others). Now approaching their one-year anniversary, Something Rotten! plays at the St. James Theatre (www.rottenbroadway.com) and tickets to Something Rotten! are available online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Willful Pictures Artistic Director Melinda Hall created the Sonnet Slam for the people of New York to celebrate Shakespeare in a unique way that is inclusive and educational.

The Sonnet Slam is held rain or shine. Twitter: @sonnetslam

For more information visit: www.sonnetslam.com.

You can donate to the Sonnet Slam via IndieGoGo / Fractured Atlas 501(c)(3): https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/6th-annual-shakespeare-s-birthday-sonnet-slam/x/10262613#/