#InTheLoop | Free Shakespeare in Queens Parks in August
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Revenge and tragedy! King Richard II banishes his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, from England. Then he goes on a crime spree to fund his expansionist delusions. But Henry returns, amasses an army, and deposes Richard, who is then killed in prison. Long live King Henry IV!
Joy and hilarious silliness! Two sets of identical twins with the same two names are separated at birth. After various cases of mistaken identity and other hijinks, Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, are able to locate their brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus…Or something like that.
The Woodside-based Hip to Hip Theatre Company is about to present two Shakespeare plays – Richard II and The Comedy of Errors – at various outdoor public spaces in Queens from Wednesday, Aug. 2, to Saturday, Aug. 26. (The show will go on in Long Island, New Jersey, and Staten Island, too)
The roughly-90-minute performances are free, and no tickets are necessary. (A blanket or chair might be nice, though.) Plus, Hip to Hip offers an interactive workshop for children about 30 minutes before each show.
Married couple Jason and Joy Marr founded Hip to Hip in 2007. They work on just about every aspect of the productions, too, including acting. This year, Jason directs Richard II, while Joy directs The Comedy of Errors.
Here’s the schedule for Richard II.
Aug. 2, Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Ave., 7:30 pm.
Aug. 4, Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave. in Flushing, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 11, The Unisphere inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 12, Gantry Plaza State Park, 4-09 47th Rd. in Long Island City, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 17, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike and 196th Street in Fresh Meadows, 7:30 pm (Rain date: Aug. 22).
Aug. 20, Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City, 5 pm.
Aug. 24, Crocheron Park, 35th Avenue and Corbett Road, Bayside, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 25, Agawam Park, 25 Pond Lane in Southampton, 7:30 pm.
Here’s the schedule for The Comedy of Errors.
Aug. 3, Cunningham Park, Union Turnpike and 196th Street in Fresh Meadows, 7:30 pm (Rain date: Aug. 8).
Aug. 5, Alice Austen Park, 2 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, 5 pm.
Aug. 9, Newport Green, 14th Street and River Drive, Jersey City, 7 pm (Rain date: Aug. 15).
Aug. 10, Crocheron Park, 35th Avenue and Corbett Road, Bayside, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 18, Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave. in Flushing, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 19, Gantry Plaza State Park, 4-09 47th Rd. in Long Island City, 7:30 pm.
Aug. 23, Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Ave., 7:30 pm.
Aug. 26, Agawam Park, 25 Pond Ln. in Southampton, 7:30 pm.
The repertory cast includes Konnor Brown, Blake Brundy, Antonia Cruz-Kent, Michael Darby, Meghan Dolbey, Liam Gerard, Axel Marr, Bree Marr, Avery Lauren Thomas, and Kiana Wilson as well as Actors Equity Association members Hari Bhaskar, Chaunice Chapman, Katie Fanning, James Harter, Jason Marr, Joy Marr, Nancy Nichols, and Anuj Parikh.
Nancy Nichols (Richard II) and Kashish Chopra (The Comedy of Errors) handled the costumes, while the production team includes Colin Wulff (dramaturg/fight director), Elena Maldonado-Dunn (assistant director), Izzy Ousey (production stage manager), Sophie Nolan (assistant stage manager), Sarah Faehnle (assistant costume designer), and Terry Chun (sound designer).
Images: Hip to Hip Theatre Company