Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
It wouldn’t be summer without outdoor Shakespeare productions, and the most spectacular and long-running such program in our neck of the Forest of Arden is the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, whose performances take advantage of the glorious setting of Boscobel on the banks of the Hudson in Garrison. On the schedule this summer for HVSF’s 27th season are the Bard’s ultimate tragedy King Lear, directed by Terrence O’Brien; Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Christopher V. Edwards; and Shakespeare’s challenging “problem play” All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Russell Treyz.
The three plays run in repertory, alternating performances throughout the season. Ticket prices range from $27 to $75, with discounts for seniors and kids and a special program called the Revelers to entice “Millennials” aged 21 to 35. This production of The Three Musketeers was made possible by a $20,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, also with an eye to appealing to this younger segment of the audience.
For more information or to order tickets, call the box office at (845) 265-9575 or visit www.hvshakespeare.org. A brochure with full calendar, ticket prices and details about the summer season can be downloaded at https://hvshakespeare.org/sites/default/files/u4/GenBroc_13_final_hvsf_web.pdf.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, June 11-September 1, $27-$75, Boscobel House and Gardens, 1601 Route 9D, Garrison; (845) 265-9575, www.hvshakespeare.org.
Bird-on-a-Cliff Theater Company
Another way to enjoy Shakespeare outdoors in the summer lies closer to home and considerably cheaper: Bird-on-a-Cliff’s charming, relatively low-budget performances in the picnic-blanket atmosphere of the pastoral Comeau Property right on the edge of downtown Woodstock. Admission is by donation, with $5 the suggested rate, so you can’t beat this for a fine afternoon’s entertainment.
This summer, Bird-on-a-Cliff will assail one of Shakespeare’s rarely performed late romances, The Winter’s Tale, perhaps best-known for its famous stage direction “Exit, pursued by a bear.” It will run from July 12 to August 4, directed by Nicola Sheara.
The second 2013 production is André Gregory’s famous Manhattan Project version of Alice in Wonderland, directed by David Aston-Reese. It runs from August 9 to September 1, so barring hurricanes, you can have your dinner with André al fresco – just don’t let the dormouse in your teapot.
All performances start at 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with no reservations necessary. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. For more information call (845) 247-4007 or visit www.birdonacliff.org.
Bird-on-a-Cliff Theater Company, Fridays-Sundays, July 12-September 1, 5 p.m., $5 suggested donation, Comeau Park, Route 212, Woodstock; (845) 247-4007, www.birdonacliff.org.
