Free Family Friendly Shakespeare—Beyond the Park

Hudson Warehouse's Much Ado About Nothing

Shakespeare for kids? Why not? Actors who love Shakespeare want audiences to love it too and so New York City is full of wonderful. free outdoor Shakespeare performances that are particularly engaging and can be fun for kids. From "Shakespeare on he Run" where the audience literally has to chase the performers to the comedic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, there's plenty of more accessible Shakespeare to be seen. Plus, it's free and outdoors, if your kids aren't ready to brave the Bard, the worst thing that happens is you leave. 

Here are five ways to enjoy Shakespeare with your kids this summer:

New York Classical Theatre
All Summer Long, Beginning May 28
Central Park and Battery Park
FREE

The New York Classical Theatre does site-specific performances of Shakespeare designed to accessible and engaging. In these performances, the audience literally chases the actors from scene location to location throughout the park, thus the nickname "Shakespeare on the Run."  Kids are sure to find this the most fun way to watch Shakespeare.

Catch shows starting May 28 in Central park at West 103rd St and Central Park West, or starting June 23rd in Battery Park. There are also several family workshops offered to make these performances even more kids-friendly. Family workshops introduce children to classical theater through fun and games. Participants will learn the story of the play, how to get ready for the show and get a chance to act from the script. THe public is also welcome to attend the outdoor rehearsals for anyone interested in seeing the process of creating the plays or for an even more informal viewing. 

Check the whole season schedule to find out about showtimes, open rehearsals and family workshops.

Inwood Shakespeare Festival
June 3-20, 7:30 PM (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat)
Inwood Hill Park
FREE

Bring a blanket to these free Shakespeare performances under the stars. This year, the festival is putting on The Merchant of Venice, which although is quite an involved story, it does have a relatively happy ending. The MooseHall Theater Company will also be performing, Dracula in July and will host a children's concert on June 8th. Check the website for details on all these performances and directions.

Boomerang Theater Company: The Comedy of Errors

July 19-August 10
Enter Central Park at W 69th Street
FREE

In this lesser-known earlier work, Shakespeare plays around with slapstick, mistaken identities and plays-on-words, for lots of laughs. Kids will get a bit more giggles out of the slapstick while you smile at the puns. There is a bit of incest with all these "I didn't realize you were my (insert relative here)" going on, but it should go right over their heads.

HudsonWarehouse: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet 
July 9 - August 30, Thursdays through Sundays at 6:30pm
Riverside Park Soldiers and Sailors Monument at West 89th St.
FREE

The HudsonWarehouse is known for putting on some pretty spectacular shows, with aesthetically pleasing costumes and action (see the Much Ado About Nothing chorus line from last year's performance above). Expect their version of Hamlet to be fun or check out the fantastical A Midsummer Night's Dream instead. The Tempest is also going on, June 4-28. Check the website for more information.

Shakespeare at The Old Stone House
JJ Byrne Park, Brooklyn (5th Avenue btwn 3rd and 4th Streets)
FREE

The Old Stone House at JJ Byrne Park in Park Slope will be showing Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the comedic Shakespearean spin-off. 

If you have an older child and like to stand in line for 6 hours, Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park will also be showing Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway. 

Shakespearean Graphic Novels
Whether you want to prep the story before you go to one of these shows, or you want to skip the show and just stick to reading Shakespeare, there are some very good graphic novel versions of the Bard now.

Try the Manga version of Romeo and Juliet set in modern day Tokyo, but with original Shakespearean dialogue (albeit slightly abridged) or Macbeth in comic form.