Free Monday Night Summer Shakespeare Film Screenings at The Old Globe this July

The Old Globe will once again share some of its favorite Shakespearean cinema as a complement to its stage productions with the return of Free Monday Night Film Screenings, presented in conjunction with the 2018 Summer Shakespeare Festival. Curated by the Globe's Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and introduced by KPBS's "Cinema Junkie" Beth Accomando, the films include Fred Wilcox's Forbidden Planet on July 9, Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus on July 16, Orson Welles's Othello on July 30, and Ian McKellen's Richard III on August 27. Admission is free. Seating for each film is first-come, first-served and by general admission. The line begins one hour before each screening.

Help us kick off the series with free popcorn and a beer tasting as we journey to a Forbidden Planet, on Monday, July 9 at 8:15 p.m. in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. From the mind of Fred Wilcox (Lassie Come Home, The Secret Garden) comes one of the greatest science fiction films of the 1950s. Based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, this interstellar space story is one of the first to depict humans traveling in a faster-than-light starship. A spaceship headed by commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew travel to the distant planet Altair IV to determine the fate of scientists sent to the planet 20 years earlier. The crew arrives to find scientist Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) still alive. Soon, Adams and his crew begin to uncover why Morbius and his daughter were the sole survivors.

Shakespeare's famous Roman tragedy Coriolanus follows on Monday, July 16 at 7:00 p.m. indoors on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. This vivid 2011 British film remake of the bloody epic marks the directorial debut of Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter, The Grand Budapest Hotel). Caius Martius Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes) is a revered and feared Roman general at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling, ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus's anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

The Orson Welles-directed (Citizen Kane, Broadway's Julius Caesar) Othello will show on Monday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Old Globe Theatre. When a secret marriage is planned between Othello (Orson Welles), a Moorish general, and Desdemona (Suzanne Cloutier), the daughter of Senator Brabantio (Hilton Edwards), her old suitor Roderigo (Robert Coote) takes it hard. He allies himself with Iago (Micheál MacLiammóir), who has his own grudge against Othello, and the two conspire to bring Othello down. When their first plan, to have him accused of witchcraft, fails, they plant evidence intended to make him believe Desdemona is unfaithful.

Late summer skies provide the perfect setting for political machination in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre on Monday, August 27 at 8:00 p.m. when Richard III is brought to life on screen, based on the stage production directed by Richard Eyre. A murderous lust for the British throne sends Richard III (Ian McKellen) descending into madness. Though the setting is transposed to the 1930s, England is torn by civil war, split between the rivaling houses of York and Lancaster. Richard aspires to a fascist dictatorship, but must first remove the obstacles to his ascension-among them his brother, his nephews, and his brother's wife (Annette Bening). When the Duke of Buckingham (Jim Broadbent) deserts him, Richard's plans are compromised.

"Once again this year the Globe will bring cinema's best Shakespeare to the San Diego summer. As we work to make theatre matter to more people, we take delight in sharing, for free, four absolutely wonderful movies with our city," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "As our nationally renowned Summer Shakespeare Festival boasts gorgeous new productions of The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing, we will present free screenings of entertaining and accessible movies that reimagine Shakespeare in many forms. I love all four of them. Forbidden Planet, a sci-fi riff on The Tempest, kicks us off in high '50s style. Ralph Fiennes's thrilling take on the rarely produced Coriolanus brings a modern, media-conscious perspective to the play. The genius of Orson Welles, both as actor and director, is on brilliant display in his Othello. And Ian McKellen's energetic Richard III sets this great story against the chilling contours of early 20th century Fascism. I look forward to sharing this bounty of great Shakespeare with San Diego, and to joining our audience for some free popcorn and beer when we kick the series off!"

Admission is free for the Monday night Shakespeare film screenings. Seating for each film is first-come, first-served and by general admission. Line begins one hour before each screening. Summer Season subscriptions offer substantial savings on this exciting lineup of shows, and range from $138-$373. Single tickets for all four shows are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the box office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.

Award-winning film critic Beth Accomando covers arts and culture for KPBS News and hosts the popular "Cinema Junkie" podcast every other Friday. She studied film at UC San Diego, worked on all the sequels (yes, there were more than one!) of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, and currently programs films at multiple venues through the not-for-profit organization Film Geeks San Diego. Accomando has been attending Globe productions since she was six years old and has a passion for Shakespeare films.

The Old Globe 2018 Summer Shakespeare Festival presents the finest of the Bard's work outdoors under the stars in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. Summer officially arrives with The Tempest, directed by Joe Dowling, running June 17 - July 22, 2018. Thrown out of power by her wicked brother, Prospera, the Duchess of Milan (played byKate Burton), lives in exile on a desert island. For company, she has only her daughter Miranda, the spirits who are native to the island, and her beloved books. The books are the source of her dark magic, which she uses to lure her enemies to the island so she can exact revenge. But her plot could destroy Miranda's happiness, so Prospera must choose between her own anger and her daughter's future. This enchanting fantasy brimming with magic and romance kicks off the 2018 Shakespeare Festival with spectacle under the stars.

Following The Tempest in the Summer Shakespeare Festival in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre is Much Ado About Nothing, running August 12 - September 16, 2018. Three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall (the Globe's Love's Labor's Lost) makes her triumphant return as director to our Festival Theatre stage with one of the greatest romantic comedies ever, in a production full of colorful characters, passionate poetry, and Shakespeare's wittiest wordplay. Everyone can see that confirmed bachelor Benedick and headstrong Beatrice are meant for each other-except for Benedick and Beatrice themselves! While their friends try to trick the bickering pair into admitting they're in love, their young sidekicks Hero and Claudio start a romance of their own. But will false accusations, broken promises, and even a nutty and bumbling police force prevent a happy ending?

The 2018 Summer Season will begin with the previously announced Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, presented by The Old Globe and Children's Theatre Company, in partnership with The Old Vic. Based on the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, it was adapted for the stage by David Greig, with music and lyrics by Charlie Fink, and directed by Max Webster. Originally produced at The Old Vic in London, where it was directed by Webster, Dr. Seuss's The Lorax includes puppet design by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes, choreography by Drew McOnie; and scenic and costume design by Rob Howell. Performances run July 2 - August 12, 2018, on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Direct from London's West End comes the critically acclaimed and Olivier Award-nominated musical event of the summer. Silky soft Truffula trees provide the perfect ingredient for a nifty new garment. But when demand skyrockets, who will speak for all the trees in the Truffula forest? Enter the Lorax. Dr. Seuss's The Lorax has been enchanting adults and children alike for generations, and this summer his irresistible, big-hearted, mustachioed hero will be brought to inventive life in what critics call a "mad, uproarious delight" (The Independent). Audiences of all ages will be thrilled by the brilliant, eye-popping colors, infectious music, and beloved story that the Financial Times called "joyous and all-too-timely."

Then director Jessica Stone (Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) returns to the Globe to extend our decades-long relationship with giant comic playwright Neil Simon with this fresh and hilarious new look at his "bubbling, rib-tickling comedy" (The New York Times). Barefoot in the Park runs July 28 - August 26, 2018, in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Fresh off a honeymoon at the Plaza Hotel, free-spirited Corie and her buttoned-down husband Paul find themselves struggling to adjust to married life in their run-down New York walk-up. Throw in a loopy meddling mother, an eccentric Bohemian upstairs neighbor, and a double date that goes disastrously wrong, and you've got the perfect recipe for laughter.

LOCATION and PARKING INFORMATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Guests may also be dropped off in front of the Mingei International Museum. There is a 10-minute zone at The Old Globe, used only for daytime deliveries, ticket purchases, and handicapped access dropoff. For directions and up-to-date information, please visit www.theoldglobe.org/plan-your-visit/directions--parking/detailed-directions.

PLEASE NOTE: To look up online or GPS directions to The Old Globe, please do not use the Delivery Address above. For GPS users, please click here for the map coordinates, and here for written directions to The Old Globe and nearby parking in Balboa Park.

CALENDAR: Native Gardens (5/26-6/24), The Tempest (6/17-7/22), AXIS: Make Music San Diego (6/21); Dr. Seuss's The Lorax (7/2-8/12), AXIS: Fourth District Senior Center's Globe Takeover, Featuring the Seasoned Line Dancers (7/10), Barefoot in the Park (7/28-8/26), Much Ado About Nothing (8/12-9/16), AXIS: LV's Island Flair, Featuring Dance Lessons with Elvina Addams (8/21), The Heart of Rock & Roll (9/6-10/21), AXIS: Mexican Independence Day Celebration, Featuring Las Colibrí in Concert(9/15), 2018 Globe Gala featuring Andra Day (9/22), M.F.A.: Julius Caesar (10/20-10/28), AXIS: Day of the Dead Celebration (10/28), Globe for All Tour: A Midsummer Night's Dream (10/30-11/18), Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (11/3-12/29), Looking for Christmas: The New Clint Black Christmas Musical (11/13-12/16), Familiar(1/26-3/3/2019), Tiny Beautiful Things (2/9-3/10), Life After (3/22-4/28), They Promised Her the Moon (4/6-5/5), Ken Ludwig's The Gods of Comedy (5/11-6/16), What You Are (5/23-6/23).

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's artistic and arts engagement programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Meteor Shower, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.

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