Still from Hip to Hip’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Photo credit: Hip to Hip
13 August 2024 By Shane O’Brien
“Shakespeare in the Park” comes to Queens this week with two free performances at Sunnyside Gardens Park.
Hip to Hip Theatre Company brings the hugely popular event to Sunnyside with a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream tonight, August 13, before a performance of The Winter’s Tale on Wednesday, August 21. Both productions begin at 7:30 p.m.
Hip to Hip is also hosting “Kids & the Classics” on both evenings from 7 p.m., where children aged five to twelve can take part in interactive workshops. The workshops give children a chance to interact with the text by previewing the story and making connections between the text and one’s own life through drama.
Anyone interested in attending one of the performances is requested to Bring a blanket or low chair and picnic food. Tickets are not required for the performances, but seating is first come, first served.
Hip to Hip has been performing free Shakespeare plays in New York City parks for 17 years, staging 28 of the 38 plays Shakespeare is said to have written during his lifetime.
The theatre group uses a repertory theatre system, which refers to the practice of a drama group rehearsing several pieces and their performance in alternation.
Joy Marr, co-founder of Hip to Hip, said the company is “keeping the reputation alive.”
“It’s a feat of memory and talent to see the actors move from show to show. This year it’s especially amazing because each actor is playing multiple roles in each show, meaning they’re preparing four to five Shakespeare roles at once,” Marr said in a statement.
Marr added that the repertory system offers aspiring actors the opportunity to work with more experienced professionals, noting that actors who previously worked at Hip to Hip have appeared in the newly released musical film “Mean Girls” and in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.”
“It is an honor to be part of these young actors’ journey.”
Jason Marr, who is directing the Hip to Hip production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, said the combination of A Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be a delight for Sunnyside audiences.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream is Shakespeare’s most popular play for a reason,” said Jason Marr. “I’m working on it for the fifth time now and I’m still discovering new levels of genius. Combined with The Winter Fairytale offers the audience an additional treat, as the pieces complement each other so well. In addition to the summerIn the winter contrast, they offer thematic echoes such as love and marriage, personal freedom, magic and the healing power of nature.”
David Frederick, director of “The Winter’s Tale,” said audiences are often captivated by the story.
“IIt is a decades-long journey of personal and political “Reconciliation and redemption,” said Frederick. “I am thrilled to finally have the chance to direct this play that has fascinated me since I first saw it over 30 years ago.”
“It is an artistic joy to explore the psychology of the piece, the emotional pain and the different storylines about the power of love.”
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