Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park Opens Friday

Photo By J. David Levy

It's opening night Friday of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of "Romeo and Juliet" at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. The show begins at 8pm and will run through June 24, except Tuesdays. Green Show activities and the Backstage Tours begin at 6:30pm. The performance is free.

Elena Araoz will be directing the play which she says is, "such a timely story for today’s audiences, both here in St. Louis and beyond.” Araoz adds, “It’s all about big love, and how we must take great care of our young people, and remind ourselves every day that our greatest duty is to provide them with a sense of hope for the future -- that our identity is not defined by the exclusion of another.”

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More on Shakespeare Festival St. Louis:

OUR MISSION

To produce professional Shakespeare theatre,
culminating in a free production in Forest Park, and
to celebrate both Shakespeare’s language and the artists he has inspired.

We present Shakespeare and works inspired by Shakespeare. We are in the Schools, in the Streets, and in the Park. Our work seeks to better the community, facilitate a diverse conversation, and encourage collaboration across disciplines.

OUR HISTORY

Inspired by R. Crosby Kemper, III, the idea of a free Shakespeare festival began in 1997, and with broad civic support Shakespeare Festival St. Louis received 501(c)3 status in December 1999.

In 2001, after three years of planning and preparation, first Managing Director Lana Pepper, along with Chairman of the Board Marvin Moskowitz and a visionary Board of community leaders, produced the first annual free Shakespeare festival in Forest Park. Since the initial two-week run that attracted 33,000 audience members, the Festival has grown into a year-round institution producing over 250 public performances annually for nearly 100,000 patrons and students.

Today the Festival is recognized as an arts and culture leader and has received numerous awards including “Best Theatre Company,” “Most Innovative Arts Organization,” and Exemplary Community Achievement from the Missouri Humanities Council. In January 2015, the Festival received the Arts and Education Council’s Excellence in the Arts Awards.

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