Shakespeare Theatre Company Presents 22nd Annual Free For All Production: ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's annual Free For All is a much-loved Washington tradition, offering free Shakespeare performances to the general public for the past 21 years. This year the beloved tradition kicks off the Company's 2012-2013 Season by reviving All's Well That Ends Well, initially presented during the 2010-2011 Season with original direction from STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn. All's Well That Ends Well will run at STC's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from August 23–September 5, 2012. Resident Assistant Director Jenny Lord will direct this perfect summer capstone for residents and visitors to D.C.

Hailed by the Washington City Paper as "lively comedy…springs brightly, joyfully to life," All's Well That Ends Well is a story of adventure and romance examining the bounds of desire and the individual will. This production, set in the era of World War I, tells of Helena, the daughter of a physician, who cures the ailing King of France using the skills her late father taught her. In return, the King promises her the husband of her choice, unaware that the non-committal Count Bertram is the object of her affection. Confronted with the decree of a king, Bertram attempts to escape the impending union through his harsh words, disdainful actions and a romance with Diana, the daughter of the widow who keeps a hostel. Will Bertram succeed in his quest to remain unencumbered, or will he give into the ever-persistent Helena?

More than 630,000 people have attended the Free For All since 1991, when Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Michael Kahn and Founding Chairman R. Robert Linowes inaugurated the tradition of free Shakespeare in D.C. with Kahn's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. "We are pleased that STC is able to offer free Shakespeare productions to as wide of an audience as possible even during these challenging economic times," said Kahn. "One of the major goals of the Free For All is to make Shakespeare accessible to diverse audiences-people who have never been to the theatre, people who are unable to pay for tickets or afford a babysitter, young people, students, people on fixed incomes. They all come to experience the magic of Shakespeare, to see how his words and ideas still resonate with us more than 400 years later."

The Free For All will be staged at STC's state-of-the-Art Theatre, Sidney Harman Hall, for the fourth year (610 F Street NW; Metro Stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown). Performances will take place August 23–September 5, 2012. STC's 2012-2013 Season subscribers and Friends of Free For All may reserve tickets in advance for select performances. Anyone may become a Friend of Free For All by making a tax-deductible contribution of $200.

Leadership Support for this year's Free For All production of All's Well That Ends Well is provided by Ameriprise Financial, CoStar Group and The Real Estate Community Partners, the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities-an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts-the Friends of Free For All, the Philip L. Graham Fund and The Washington Post. Additional support has been provided by PEPCO and the Share Fund of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.