Shakespeare in the Park opening in Spokane

| July 14, 2023 1:00 AM

SPOKANE — Spokane Parks and Recreation and the Spokane Shakespeare Society will bring Spokane Shakespeare in the Park to three parks this summer for family-friendly, free community performances. The Shakespeare Society is expanding and will present a weekend at Manito Park, Riverfront and Sky Prairie.

This year, the society is exploring a new storytelling adventure: the shows will run in repertory. There is one cast, performing two shows, on alternating nights. North Idaho College theater professor Erick Wolfe will be the assistant director for "Hamlet."

“This season’s shows provide a unique opportunity to present them as two pieces of one larger story,” Shakespeare Society Executive Director Amanda Cantrell said. “We are showing what happens to the characters between life and death … or maybe death and life, depending on where the audience decides to join.”

• "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and directed by Dr. Amanda Cantrell and Erick Wolfe will show Thursdays and Saturdays in July through August (July 20, 22, 27, 29, Aug. 3, 5), and then Fridays and Sundays in August through September (Sept. 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17).

• "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" by Tom Stoppard and directed by Pamela Kingsley, assistant directed by Blythe DeWitt, will perform Fridays and Sundays in July through August (July 21, 23, 28, 30, Aug. 4, 6), and then Thursdays and Saturdays in August through September (Aug 31, Sept 2, 7, 9, 14, 16).

All shows will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the first run of July 20 through Aug. 6, Thursday through Sunday; however, in the second run of Aug. 31 through Sept. 17, Thursday and Friday will begin at 6:30 p.m. but Saturday and Sunday will begin at 2 p.m. The public told Spokane Shakespeare Society matinees are important, so it is bringing them back in the fall when the weather begins to cool. Performances will open at Manito, then move to Riverfront and close at Sky Prairie.

Friends and families can gather on their lawn chairs or blankets. People can pack a picnic, grab food or have it delivered from close restaurants and enjoy a night of professional theater under the stars. All seating will be open; however, large groups may reach out to the Shakespeare Society to discuss the best options for ensuring a group can sit together.

Info: spokaneshakespearesociety.org.