Whoever thought of outdoor theater in a park must’ve had families in mind. After all, you get to bring your own snacks, stretch out on a blanket, and if your kid’s attention span is waning, you can sneak away to the playground. Plus the shows are free, although donations are very much appreciated.
GreenStage is celebrating 25 years of Shakespeare in the Park, with shows around the Seattle area. You can see the lighthearted comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the dysfunctional family drama King Lear. Their Backyard Bard shows, new this year, are a fun, condensed version of Shakespeare’s plays, with four actors performing Twelfth Night or The Merry Wives of Windsor in just 45 minutes.
Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Wooden O presents Henry V and The Tempest at parks around Seattle and the Eastside.
If Shakespeare isn’t your scene, consider one of the amusing, all-ages plays from Theater Schmeater or Balagan Theatre.
Shakespeare in the Park: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 7 p.m. July 12: Fall City Park, Fall City
- 7 p.m. July 13, Aug. 15 and Aug. 17: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 14: Seward Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 18 and 20, 3 p.m. July 21: Lower Woodland Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 26: Willis Tucker Park, Snohomish
- 7 p.m. July 27: Camp Long, Seattle
- 3 p.m. July 28: Discovery Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2: Lincoln Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 3: Dottie Harper Park, Burien
- 3 p.m. Aug. 4: Battle Point Park, Bainbridge Island
- 7 p.m. Aug. 8: Lynndale Park, Lynnwood
- 7 p.m. Aug. 9 and 10, 3 p.m. Aug. 11: Magnuson Park Amphitheater, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 16: Anderson Park, Redmond
More info: www.greenstage.org/2013/midsummer
Shakespeare in the Park: King Lear
- 7 p.m. July 12 and Aug. 16, 3 p.m. Aug. 17: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 13: Seward Park, Seattle
- 2 p.m. July 14: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 19 and 21: Lower Woodland Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 26: Camp Long, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 27: Dottie Harper Park, Burien
- 3 p.m. July 28, 7 p.m. Aug. 3: Lincoln Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 1: Lynndale Park, Lynnwood
- 7 p.m. Aug. 2: Fall City Park, Fall City
- 3 p.m. Aug. 4: Discovery Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 8 and 11, 3 p.m. Aug. 10: Magnuson Park Amphitheater, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 9: Willis Tucker Park, Snohomish
More info: www.greenstage.org/2013/lear
Backyard Bard: Twelfth Night
- 7 p.m. July 12: High Point Commons, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 13: Cowen Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 14: Greenwood Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 18: Hing Hay Park, Seattle
- 3 p.m. July 21: Occidental Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 26: David Rogers Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 27: Wallingford Play Field, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 2: Salmon Bay Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 9: Lavizzo Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 18: Anderson Park, Redmond
More info: www.greenstage.org/backyardbard
Backyard Bard: The Merry Wives of Windsor
- Noon July 13, 5 p.m. July 14: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 19: Greenwood Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 20: High Point Commons, Seattle
- 3 p.m. July 28: Cowen Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 3: Wallingford Play Field, Seattle
- 3 p.m. Aug. 4: Occidental Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 8: Salmon Bay Park, Seattle
- 3 p.m. Aug. 11: David Rogers Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 15: Hing Hay Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 16: Lavizzo Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 17: Anderson Park, Redmond
More info: www.greenstage.org/backyardbard
Wooden O: Henry V
- 2 p.m. July 13: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 14, 21, 25-27; 7 p.m. Aug. 1-3 and 9, and 2 p.m. Aug. 11: Luther Burbank Park Amphitheater, Mercer Island
- 7 p.m. July 17-18: Lynndale Park, Lynnwood
- 7 p.m. July 20: Pine Lake Park, Sammamish
- 6 p.m. July 28: Fisher Pavilion Lawn at Seattle Center, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 4, Des Moines Beach Park, Des Moines
More info: www.seattleshakespeare.org/henry-v
Wooden O: The Tempest
- 7 p.m. July 12, 18-20, and Aug. 4, 8, 10-11; 2 p.m. July 13: Luther Burbank Park Amphitheater, Mercer Island
- 7 p.m. July 14: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 7 p.m. July 17: Richmond Beach Community Park, Shoreline
- 3 p.m. July 21: Edmonds City Park, Edmonds
- 7 p.m. July 24-25: Lynndale Park, Lynnwood
- 7 p.m. July 26: Angle Lake Park, SeaTac
- 7 p.m. July 27: Pine Lake Park, Sammamish
- 2 p.m. July 28: Fisher Pavilion Lawn at Seattle Center, Seattle
- 7 p.m. Aug. 1: Issaquah Community Center, Issaquah
- 7 p.m. Aug. 3: Ober Park, Vashon Island
- 7 p.m. Aug. 9: Marina Park, Kirkland
More info: www.seattleshakespeare.org/the-tempest
Theater Schmeater: The Magic Pudding
- 5 p.m. July 13-14, 20-21, and 27-28: Volunteer Park, Seattle
More info: www.schmeater.org/plays/2013/themagicpudding
Balagan Theatre: The Totally True & Almost Accurate Adventures of Pinocchio
- 2 p.m. July 13-14, 20 and 27: Volunteer Park, Seattle
- 2 p.m. Aug. 3-4: Lake Burien Park, Burien
More info: www.balagantheatre.org
Tempest photo courtesy of GreenStage.
