Shakes in the Park raises curtains in the MSU Grove
This summer’s productions include: King Lear and Twelfth Night
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, an outreach program of the Montana State University’s College of Arts & Architecture, is pleased to announce the Shakespeare in the Parks summer season will feature productions of King Lear and Twelfth Night. As always, these performances are free and open to the public.
King Lear will run Wednesday through Saturday, June 15th–18th at 8pm each evening in the MSU Grove. The following Wed. through Sat., June 22nd–25th, Twelfth Night will show at 8pm each night in the Grove.
For the first time in history, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks are proud to present King Lear. In this tragedy, Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter returns with an army, but they lose the battle and Lear, all his daughters and more, die.
In the well-known, well-loved piece of mistaken identity by the Bard, Twelfth Night, Viola (separated from her twin Sebastian) dresses as a boy and works for the Duke Orsino, whom she falls in love with. Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia, and sends Viola to court her for him, but Olivia falls for Viola instead. Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and marries Olivia. Viola then reveals she is a girl and marries Orsino.
Future Montana Shakespeare in the Parks area performances include: King Lear in Big Timber’s Lions Club Park on July 10th at 6:30pm; King Lear on the Main Street Green in Whitehall on July 18th at 6pm; Twelfth Night in Townsend’s Heritage Park on July 30th at 6pm; in Lindley Park during the Sweet Pea Festival – Twelfth Night on August 5th at 3:45pm and King Lear on Aug. 7th at 5pm; Twelfth Night in Big Sky’s Town Center Park on Aug. 8th at 5:30pm; King Lear at Arch Park in Gardiner on Aug. 13th at 6pm; Twelfth Night on the main lawn at Chico Hot Springs on Aug. 14th at 6pm; Twelfth Night at MSU’s Grant Chamberlain Park on Sept. 2nd at 5:30pm; King Lear in Livingston’s Shane Lalani Center’s parking lot on Sept. 3rd at 6pm; Twelfth Night in Manhattan’s Altenbrand Park on Sept. 4th at 5pm; and King Lear closing out the regional stops of the summer tour in Lewis & Clark Park, Belgrade, on Sept. 5th at 3:30pm.
For more information on the productions and a complete tour schedule, visit www.
