Barefoot Shakespeare Company Presents LEAR

Barefoot Shakespeare Company presents William Shakespeare's Lear, directed by Joe Raik. All performances will be held at Summit Rock in Central Park and admission is free.

Almost three years in the making, Barefoot Shakespeare is proud to bring this production to life for their 10th Anniversary Season. Lear will be directed by Barefoot alumni and collaborator Joe Raik.

California, 1879. The Frontier lies open with the promise of power, wealth, and glory... for some. For others there is only defeat and ruin. Written in the midst of a deadly plague, Lear is a tragedy about family, loyalty, and the choices people make to break free from their restraints. No ghosts, no angry gods, no magic, and no witches. Only the unforgiving skies, the cruelty of the ordinary world, and the human heart's capacity for love and hate, darkness and light. Presented in two parts to be performed in repertory, free of charge, at Summit Rock, Central Park.

This summer's cast includes both alumni and newcomers: Nazlah Black, Andrew Dunn, Emily Gallagher, Jermaine Legree Jr., Percy Mitchell, Amy Pan, Anuj Parikh, Jerry Raik, Regina Russell, Anna Stacy, Rachel Weekley, & Abby Wilde.

All shows will take place at Summit Rock in Central Park on the following dates and times: Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 6 PM, Part I; Friday, June 3, 2022 at 6 PM, Part II; Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 3 PM, Part I and 6 PM, Part II; Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 6 PM, Part I; Friday, June 10, 2022 at 6 PM, Part II; Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 3 PM, Part I and 6 PM Part II. Admission for all performances is free.

Barefoot Shakespeare Company was formed in 2012 with the mission of bringing Shakespeare's work to a wide and diverse audience with a pedestrian, engaging, and modern outlook on the works of the Bard. They strive to create work that is accessible to everyone, with an eye towards modernization to reflect the world we currently live in, and our recent past to examine how we got here. We continue to try and educate both ourselves and our audiences on the histories and struggles of topics such as race, gender equality, politics, and self expression with the Bard's works as our baseline. We value our relationships with our audiences, and encourage them to participate in our productions, blurring the lines between spectator and participant. Located in New York City, Barefoot Shakespeare Company takes full advantage of the beauty of Manhattan's Central Park to bring Shakespeare alive against a backdrop of a specifically American time and place.

For more information, visit our website: www.barefootshakespeare.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.