SHAKE 38 Restaurants to Feature Dishes Inspired by Shakespeare's Plays

Thirty-eight culinary masters will be whipping up some eclectic menu items and calling their creations "38 Eats" as part of one of the most adventurous offerings to date during the eighth annual SHAKE 38, April 19-23, at multiple venues throughout the city.

Each chef, representing a variety of restaurants, will feature a dish inspired by one of the Bard's 38 plays. The featured menu items will be available for purchase by guests throughout the five-day event at the participating restaurants. Guests are encouraged to visit the participating restaurants to purchase the dishes.

In addition to "38 Eats," Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is collaborating with the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum (www.iphf.org) to showcase each play through 38 photos taken by a selection of some of the city's most innovative and diverse photographers. The display will be available for viewing at the museum as part of the SHAKE 38 kick-off event from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wed., April 19 at the museum. For a list of participating chefs/restaurants and photographers, visit www.sfstl.com.

"Every year the groups seem to raise the bar in terms of location, participation and creativity, and this year, particularly with '38 Eats,' audience members will be eating it up," said Rick Dildine, artistic and executive director of the Festival. "It's an incredible opportunity for the community, represented by amateurs and professionals alike, to come together to showcase Shakespeare's plays through their own creative interpretations."

Scheduled from April 19-23, with locations throughout St. Louis, SHAKE 38 performances are limited only by one's imagination. Events are free and nearly all are open to the public. In past years, venues have ranged from cupcake trucks, street corners and parking garages to paddle boats, libraries and empty swimming pools.

Last year's headlining act, CRY HAVOC, will also return for two performances. Following its upcoming Off Broadway run in New York City in mid-April, the powerful one-person play will be presented in partnership with the St. Louis Public Library at 1 p.m. on April 29-30, at the St. Louis Public Library - Central Branch. Tickets will be free, but limited.

CRY HAVOC features actor/veteran Stephan Wolfert as he leads audiences on an interactive journey to meet Shakespeare's veterans, and confronts the difficulties today's soldiers face in leaving military service to rejoin the civilian world. The play speaks to the impact of theater as a tool for social change and the way the themes of Shakespeare's 400-year-old works resonate meaningfully in modern life.

SHAKE 38 was introduced in 2010, as an around-the-clock urban experience highlighting Shakespeare's entire canon in every neighborhood in St. Louis in 38 hours. In 2012 the event expanded to five days. SHAKE 38 is sponsored by Nancy and Ken Kranzberg, in partnership with the Riverfront Times.

SHAKE 38 will be followed by the Festival's mainstage production of The Winter's Tale, June 2-25, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. The 2017 season will culminate with the sixth annual Shakespeare in the Streets (Sept. 15-17) in downtown St. Louis.

Since its inception in 2001, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis has surpassed the one million mark in attendance through its work In the Schools, In the Streets and In the Park with more than 710,000 people attending the free main stage productions at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. The organization has reached an additional 300,000 students In the Schools through its educational programming. In 2010, the Festival launched SHAKE 38, a marathon participatory presentation of Shakespeare's entire 38-play canon community wide. In 2012, the Festival shut down its first street, Cherokee, to present a community-based play In the Streets. Leadership support for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' 2017 season is provided by the Whitaker Foundation. The Festival is also funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis. In 2017, the Festival was named Arts Organization of the Year by the Missouri Arts Council. For more information, visit www.sfstl.com, or call 314-531-9800.

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