The Nightmare Story

By Oumar Berte

The Nightmare Story is a play performed by college students who come from Pittsburgh to New York for the New York Fringe Festival.

The play uses magic realism to tell the story of a son who goes in search of a flower to save his mother who is suffering from nightmares. He has to find the flower because one day his mother doesn’t wake up.

The play is a mix of jokes, shadows and music. I think that the goals of the play are to show a different side of nightmares and to make people have fun – and these goals are reached.

I’ve seen a lot of plays (both high and low budget), but I’ve never had so much fun in a theatre in my entire life. The Nightmare Story is the should-see-play of this year’s Fringe Festival.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Behind the Fringe - Mobius

Playwright of FringeNYC show Mobius, Michael Lopez-Saenz, answered some questions about his play.

PxP: What was your inspiration for this play?

ML: The play started as an assignment in a playwriting class that I was taking at NYU. The assignment was to take an occurrence from your own life that happened within the last couple of days and write a scene around it. The original scene (which appears in this incarnation of the play in a slightly modified form) was built around a young man and his contentious relationship with his mother. From there, the play became a one-act, and then after I finished my graduate school work, the characters cried out to be more fully fleshed out.

PxP: Is this your first play? If not, what sets this play apart from the rest?

ML: I have written a couple of other plays, none of which have been produced. This play is very different from my others in the non-chronological aspect. It is also much more lyrical in its use of language.

PxP: What made you decide to include nudity?

ML: The scene in which the nudity occurs is about exposure - literal and figurative. The character Montgomery takes a great risk and in the process is punished for it. Nudity is a risky thing for most people - it makes a lot of people very uncomfortable, and I wanted them to be as uncomfortable as Montgomery is in the face of such open and blatant nudity. I also think that adolescence is a very sexual time; as an adolescent, Montgomery is struggling with his sexuality and it is very much at the front of his mind.

PxP: Is there a specific message you wanted to tell the audience members through the play?

ML: Purely and simply: people and events are not always what they seem; a person is more than the surface of their actions. And there is a great danger to dismissing a person's cries for help.

PxP: Montgomery is a very intellectual kid. What kind of research did you have to do when it came to writing the script for Mobius?

ML: God bless the internet. And the Discovery Channel. And all the books I read as a young man. While I'm no genius, there is a bit of Montgomery in me, and I tend to pick up all sorts of information all over the place. As the play began to take its current shape, I did a lot of specific research on the subject of genius and stumbled across some truly interesting factoids (most interesting to me is that Poe predicted the work of Einstein in his prose poem Eureka).

PxP: What advice do you have for young writers?

ML: It took me several decades to discover this: if you're passionate about your writing, do something with it. No one is going to come to you and ask you to take it off the shelf and get it out there. Especially in these tough artistic times, artists need to be willing to be their own promoters. Submit your work to writing competitions, to festivals, to publications.

Read a review of Mobius here.

Mobius

By Michele Tram

The play Mobius takes place the week of spring break in 1984. It tells the story of 15-year-old Montgomery, his less than perfect family, and his struggle to gather up the courage to tell his controlling mom and absentee dad that he is gay. Mobius is a dramedy (drama-comedy) that will leave you with a truly lasting impression.

What is a mobius? A mobius is a surface with only one side and one boundary component. Described by Mackenzie, the mobius strip is similar to his brother’s mind with all the twists and turns of its appearance.

RJ Barnett gives a brilliant performance as Montgomery; making me root for him to achieve the happiness and independence that he is searching for. Montgomery’s intellect separates him from almost everyone, making him an outcast. His brother is his only source of comfort, but as the play unravels further, it is important to remember everything is not what it appears to be.

Every second left me wanting more and anticipating what would happen next. When the play ended and the lights came on, the cast filed out one by one to the center of the stage in a straight line to take a bow. I was silent. I couldn’t believe that it was already over.

Although Mobius contains nudity, it is the raw emotions of the characters that is sure to resonate in your mind long after it is over.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Two Girls

By Grace Lisandrelli

Two Girls, a play written and performed as a one-woman show by Gabrielle Maisles, chronicles the lives of two young women growing up in South Africa during the turbulent apartheid era. One of the girls, Lindiwe, rallies alongside her fellow black South Africans for equality among the races. Corinne, a young Jewish girl whose family employs Lindiwe’s mother, supports the anti-apartheid cause as well, aspiring to one day fix South Africa’s many issues. Following Nelson Mandela’s election as President of the “new” South Africa in April 1994, Corinne, Lindiwe and many other South Africans believe the battle for justice has been won. They soon face the sobering reality, however, that several of the country’s problems would persist long after Mandela’s inauguration, including the AIDS epidemic and soaring unemployment rates. Lindiwe eventually marries a South African revolutionary and bears a daughter. Corinne marries a physician and has a daughter and son. Corinne and her family later emigrate to Boston at the height of another momentous political situation – the 2008 presidential race between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. Lindiwe accompanies Corinne and her family to Boston in order to earn a college degree and money to support her unemployed husband and daughter back home. Corinne and Lindiwe find themselves engaged in the revolutionary spirit of the U.S. election and promoting change, once again, in a country that so desperately needs it.

I was surprised to find one actress playing not only Corinne and Lindiwe but also every other character in the play. I commend Gabrielle Maisels’s efforts in memorizing an incredible amount of dialogue and commanding the stage with great ease. Other than Maisels’s impeccable performance, however, I found the storyline difficult to follow. The transition between characters was muddled and it was challenging to decipher the heavily South African accented dialogue.

While Two Girls has a great deal of potential, it sadly fails to deliver due to the limitations of being portrayed by a sole performer.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Playing by Air

By Desmond Sam

Playing By Air is a thrilling performance that makes you question the impossible. The four jugglers astound with their unique tricks.

Each juggler tells a story, combining juggling with music, lights, colors, magic, comedy, and even a little bit of puppetry. By fusing these elements together, they create a mystical aura in the theater. It is a small, intimate space, and the bright colors of the props and set illuminate the theatre as the music blends with the mood.

My favorite part of the show is the partnership between the music and juggling. The genres range from electronic to folk, and the performers are still able to juggle with the rhythm. The performers play the violin and oboe in very odd ways. They balance music stands and instruments on their faces. They use a Chinese yo-yo called the Diablo. This gives the show an extra flare by using something new that really impresses the crowd.

Playing by Air is a hidden jewel in the 2010 FringeNYC Festival.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

When Last We Flew

By Serra Akyuz

When Last We Flew revolves around the lives of two teenagers: Paul, who has to hide from his mother that he’s gay; and Natalie, who has to hide the confident, strong woman inside of her. These two teenagers from a small town in Kansas experience for the first time what it feels like to clip on wings and fly. Fly out through the roof and become the bird that was suppressed inside.

The play is funny, the dialogue is smart, and the story is inspiring. The actors are entertaining and their presentation of their characters’ journeys is spot-on. Although the scenery lacks props (except for a bathroom toilet and a few chairs), the cast fills the stage with something that isn’t tangible, but more valuable: the ability to engage the audience. Harrison David Roberts’ story is a small town Kansas version of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America.

When Last We Flew challenges us to break the cage of the birds within us and evolve into something unstoppable.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

A Separate Peace

By Zoe Wolfe

A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is considered to be one of those “great American novels.” It was written sometime in the first third of the 20^th century and usually incites a chorus of groans after the title is even mentioned. Ok, maybe it’s just me who groans at the very title, but I was surprised to see that anyone had decided to turn it into a play. And not just any play, but a solo show. As I sat down to watch, I had thoughts of boring English classes and readings swirling in my head, but as soon as the show started, they all disappeared. The star of the show, Brian Foyster, captivates the audience immediately.

With a slight southern accent, he tells the story of the summer of 1942 at an all-boys boarding school. As in the novel, Foyster takes on the role of Gene, the narrator, but he often interjects himself, becoming Phineas, Gene’s best friend or other, less important characters. Even though he is just one person and does not change clothes, it is always clear which character he is. There are times when the difference between Phineas and Gene is just a leg being extended. Foyster captures the feelings of both young men very well. He has a reckless but nervous energy about him and he isn’t afraid to dive into the characters.

As the play progresses and the close friendship between Phineas and Gene is compromised, having one actor play both characters shows the audience just how similar both of the friends are. Their friendship falls apart over petty jealousy and some misunderstandings. Phineas and Gene seem to be very different people, but their similarities are revealed. These similarities are not a flaw in Foyster’s acting or an inability to separate the two characters, but rather a deep understanding of the two friends.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

The Girl in the Park

By Audrey Alunan

The Girl in The Park is a play performed by an intimate cast of four, who perhaps are a little too intimate.

The play revolves around the twisted, romantic lives of these four people. Allan is forced to encounter the Girl in the Park, but ends up kissing her, then confessing the kiss to his wife, Hannah. However, Hannah also has a secret - she's been sleeping with his brother, Will. When Allan moves out to pursue a relationship with the Girl, she repeatedly warns him that she is nothing but trouble, yet Allan jumps to take that risk. The Girl never truly reveals her name to the audience.

Allan's life is never the same after the kiss. Through the twists and the complications, this play has a simple message: one moment can completely change the status quo.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this play. Each individual scene was humorous and very well-acted. However, each scene was not in chronological order and switched back and forth from "three months earlier" or "later on that night". The show is difficult to follow and the audience is forced to put the pieces together.

The show ends three months in the past and leaves the ending open to interpretation. The playwright had a unique concept pertaining to the personality of each character, but the play simply needed straight-forward closure.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Hip Hop High - The Musical

By Kerline Batista

Drew Moore is the new kid in town who attracts chaos everywhere he goes in Hip Hop High - The Musical. Soon after moving to a new town from Philly, Drew finds himself facing trouble after he witnesses the robbery and the murder of his local bodega man. He quickly recognizes the murderers as Trench and his crew from school. Throughout the show, we see Drew face a battle within himself over whether or not he should keep his mouth shut or tell the detectives who did it. At the same time, he sets his eyes on Kassie - better known as "the next Christina Aguilera." Meanwhile, we see Drew's friend, Pyro, trying to persuade Drew into joining his dance crew.

The storyline has been done million of times and leaves plenty to be desired. The first rap battle seems a bit familiar to that one of Eminem's in 8 Mile and the whole feel of the musical is almost the same as the Step Up movies. Nevertheless, this show is able to stand on its own with a surprise twist at the end.

The great amount of talent that the actors have is completely astonishing.The young actors stand out, but so do the adults, who do a bit rapping of their own.

If you're looking to see a show that requires you to connect emotionally, then this probably isn't the right choice. However, If you're looking to have a careless fun time while watching a show, then this is most definitely the right show to see. Hip Hop High - The Musical is an hour and ten minutes of pure excitement.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Monetizing Emma

By Michele Tram

Thump. Thump. Thump. Loud music fills the theater. Moments later, the lights are slowly dimmed and faintly in the background you can hear several voices echo throughout the theater. Monetizing Emma has begun.

Monetizing Emma is a play that takes place three years from now. It tells the story of an independent, witty, sarcastic 15 year old teenager named Emma. Emma is at that age when indecisiveness and uncertainty begins to settle in, making her question every decision that she makes. Emma, like a majority of teenagers, is worried about the costly tuition of Ivy League colleges. Her concerns are put to rest when she is recruited by Genius Trust (GT) as a result of her ability to be a “good asset.” However, things are never quite what they appear to be.

Monetizing Emma is a play teenagers can relate to because at one point or another in our lives we seek independence to make our own decisions and choices. Nitya Vidyasagar, who plays Emma, brilliantly captures the conflicting emotions that teenagers feel.

I have a confession. Before seeing this play, I researched Monetizing Emma and stumbled upon the many awards this play has received. This meant that I already had high hopes for the play before it began. Often times, with high hopes, comes great disappointment. Monetizing Emma lives up to its praises and every second of the play kept me engaged with its witty humor and sharp one-liners. This modern comedic play of Monetizing Emma is definitely not to be missed!

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Tristan & Isolde

by Larissa Heron

Tristan & Isolde takes place in Ireland and England in 750 A.D. It is a story of love, betrayal and alliances. Isolde, the Irish Princess, is in love with Tristan, but is promised to Tristan's uncle King Mark. The Irish Princess must marry the English King to make peace and join allied forces. She is promised to the English King for political ties, and it is too late to flee and live with Tristan, her true love. Without realizing it, both Tristan and Isolde drink a potion from the same glass – and now, their true feelings are shown; Their hearts pump and their love is too obvious to be hidden anymore. When the King learns that both his nephew and his bride have betrayed him, he seeks revenge and banishes Tristan from his Cornwall palace. Will they be reunited or be forever torn apart?

This show never took off. There were no surprises, and it was very predictable. There were minimal props, which included a few swords, a table and a couple of chairs. The simplicity of the dark set was sparse. The few dull lights did not enhance the show at all. The setting of the story took place in Ireland and England, however, the accents were not consistent overall; half of the cast did have an accent and the other did not.

The actors did not engage much of a reaction from the small audience of only 21. However, King Mark’s acting ability played by Adam Baritot did stand out. He was well rounded, projected clearly and his character was believable!

I would not recommend this show.

Schedule and ticket information here.

In Loco Parentis

By Monikha Reyes

Fringe NYC is like a basket of apples: Some may be sour and bitter, while others may be sweet and ripe. You never know what you’re truly going to get. Luckily, In Loco Parentis is a sweet pick.

When a teacher is forced to help a student after-school due to an uncomfortable subject brought up during class, they become closer, inciting rumors that may or may not be true. Even before the play was over, I knew it was excellent.

The lines are quirky and funny at some points, and meaningful the next. The conversation between characters are true to the play and the time - so much so that I can picture people I know saying the same thing. For example, one of my favorite characters, the teacher, Mr. Browning, is definitely a cross between the TV character House and my own English teacher. The characters have their own personality - they aren't two-dimension - and the acting is a treat to watch.

The plot is refreshing. How many plays do you know show the taboo of a teacher-student relationship circled around college, death and Hamlet? Whether you like the play or not, by the end, you will step out of the theatre with a better knowledge of Hamlet.

In Loco Parentis is a must-see, two-thumbs-up show. Every second is worth watching.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

UBA Bounce

By Zoe Wolfe

Dance is an interesting form of performance. Virtually any type of movement can be classified as “dance”. In UBA Bounce (UBA is pronounced oo-ba), the chosen form of movement is – no, not bouncing – rolling. The performers slide, glide, twirl and even walk on large exercise balls and circus globes. This style of movement is very intriguing. It’s not commonly used outside of the circus, but it clearly has its place in this dance piece. Using the balls gives the dancers freedom that feeds into a playful quality. In one dance, the performers dive off of the balls over and over again. It is clear that they are thoroughly enjoying themselves.

This deliberate carefree-ness, however, is not followed through in all of the dances. In many, it seems as though the balls have control over the dancers, forcing the dancers to struggle with the balls. This struggle is apparent from the moment the lights come up. We see a dancer standing on a green ball, trying to be as still as possible and yet quivering with a look of two parts concentration and one part horror on her face. While I understand that working with rolling objects is hard, as an audience member, I don’t want to see the work that the performers have to put in.

UBA Bounce is presented as a series of dances. While each one is good in its own way, they do not work together as a cohesive piece. All in all, UBA Bounce is like many shows at the Fringe Festival; it shows much promise, but it isn’t quite there yet.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Lemonade: A Play Of World Domination

By Michele Tram

Based off the name alone – Lemonade: A Play Of World Domination – I didn’t know what to expect. How could lemonade possibly be tied in with ruling the world? In Lemonade, playwright Jais Brohinsky has created a world in the future where corporate tycoons get rich off of selling sunlight and scientists are advanced enough to be able to clone humans.

Lemonade is a play performed by eight talented cast members who individually embodied their characters very well. There is no denying that there was great chemistry between two of the main characters, Henry and Henrietta, two of the richest corporate tycoons who went from plotting mischievous plans against each other to uniting with a plan to take down the richest tycoon by assassination.

My favorite aspect of Lemonade was the clever use of live film projection and the foley artist. The live foley artist played a keyboard to match the cast’s every movement was genius.

A play inspired about the economic times of our world today, Lemonade was overall decent. There were several moments when I questioned what the main idea of the play was and it was only until the very end that the play really started to come together. Although we can certainly relate to the economic woes that Lemonade revolved around (such as $30 for a cup of lemonade), I feel like the playwright’s vision got lost in the excessive plot and slow pacing of the play. As the light gradually dimmed and the play came to an end, only some audience members grasped the concept, but others simply left the theatre still confused and befuddled.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Made in Taiwan

by Christa Tandana

The room is pitch black. You hear a strange noise, something like a rudder. It sputters, louder and louder, increasing to a climax. Gradually, the lights turn on, revealing the perpetrator - a young woman eating a bowl of noodles.

Made in Taiwan is the story of Michelle Krusiec and it’s about more than how she eats her noodles. With a hysterical Chinese mother and a tall, blonde-haired blue-eyed father, Michelle had her share of identity struggles. Her mother tried to raise her to be a good Chinese girl, but like many Asian parents, she can never be pleased. Michelle takes you through her awkward lunch moments, freedom in college, dancing in an all African-American dance company, and just being her mother’s daughter!

This character is easy to relate to, even if you’re not Chinese. Her story is filled with hilarious antics and difficult struggles with being both Chinese and American. Michelle’s relationship with her mother may seem somewhat insane to most people, but, at the heart of their relationship lies a common fear in all relationships – the fear to be alone.

Michelle Krusiec wrote and acted in this autobiographical one-person show. If you’ve never been to a one-person show before, it means that the cast has only one actor. That one actor plays a number of different characters. As you can imagine, that is really difficult to do. Michelle brilliantly executed the flow between herself to her mother to her quirky aunties and other characters without pause, guiding the audience smoothly along her life story.

You might not realize it, but it is very difficult for Asian Americans to work in theatre. It’s already enough that most Asian parents pressure their children to find a “real” job like a doctor or a lawyer. Add to that there are not many characters for Asian Americans to play and there aren’t many plays that address Asian American issues. There have been a few films that address these concerns like The Joy Luck Club and Saving Face, but certainly not enough. Some, like Michelle and David Henry Hwang, have decided to write something on their own.

The Fringe Festival is known to have some oddities, and when you pick a show, you don’t really know what is going to happen next. Made in Taiwan is sharp, witty, relevant and meaningful. It is a wonderful marriage of comedy and heartfelt struggle that I would recommend it to anyone!

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

GirlPower: Survival of the Fittest

by Audrey Alunan

GirlPower: Survival of the Fittest is a collection of original monologues, scenes, and songs written and performed by members of the Project Girl Collective, a group of girls between the ages of 12 to 21.

GirlPower: Survival of the Fittest speaks for itself. The beginning of the play is like a simile put to life onstage - two military commanders thoroughly criticize their cadets under pressure, representing mean teenage girls. The cadets struggle under each commander's cruel words such as "fat" "weak" and "ugly." Sound familiar? We live in a world filled with obstacles such as body image, insecurity, being bullied, school, relationships, and simply feeling the urge to make change.

No, this isn’t just some unrealistic, cheesy, feminist show. Each girl in the cast shares a different story based on their personal realities, showcasing their diversity and strength. During each scene, I recognized the circumstances that these girls were undergoing. After all, I am a teenage girl, too. Their messages really sank in during one of the scenes when a girl asked: "Who are you to tell me what I'm supposed to look like?"

I left the theatre feeling inspired and uplifted. Every girl will leave with a sense of empowerment and everyone else will leave with a renewed amount of feminine respect.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

My Dad's Crazier Than Your Dad: A Scientific Inquiry

By Kerline Batista

My Dad's Crazier Than Your Dad is a solo act brought to you in a unique form - it's carried out as a lecture in a college class. Katharine Heller tries to convince you of just how crazy her father is by conducting a science experiment. She recalls countless stories of her and her dad beginning from her childhood and continuing all the way through her adulthood, as she goes through the steps of the scientific method.

At the beginning of the show, I wondered why she was so driven to prove that her dad is crazy. However, after Heller began telling us how Mr.Heller and his wife wore matching Disney sweatshirts, how he faked his own death, and how at a graduation he sat in a handicapped seat just so he could get the best seat, I started to believe her. Though the show will make you laugh hysterically, it will also cause you connect with your emotional side, as Katharine presents the audience with letters and email exchanges between her and her dad.

By the end of the show, I think the audience reached a consensus that Katharine's father is actually nuts. As she says in the show, her dad really seems to be "an equation that won't add up."

If you have a chance to see this show, do it. You won't regret it. Katherine shines with her wittiness and her comedic timing. The show is only fifty minutes long - and you'll be laughing for about forty nine minutes and fifty nine seconds.

*PLOG PICK

Schedule and ticket information here.

FringeTastic 2010

We're getting SO excited for FringeNYC!

Have you heard of it?

Over 200 performance arts companies (big and small) are presenting work all around the city for two weeks. Ploggers are spending every waking moment seeing and writing about these shows to tell YOU what to see.
Keep checking back to see what we've seen - and what we recommend!

And check out these $5 tickets to some of the shows through High5!

Our Town

by Monikha Reyes

Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, has been performed time by many theatre companies and schools alike. This play is a classic, known for its slice of life of the early twentieth century. Depending on the performers, it can either be a thrill to watch or an unbearable experience. Luckily, this production of Our Town was absolute fun.

In three acts, the audience gets a view of the everyday lives of the townspeople, focusing in on George Gibbs (the son of the town’s doctor), and Emily Webb (the daughter of the newspaper editor), and their families. We see the milkman and his heifer, the newspaper boy, the drunken choir director, and the other townspeople who make this play colorful. Our narrator, the Stage Manager, guides the play along, pointing out facts and observations about the world of the play that we might overlook.

The play is always done with the minimum of props. That means that all the plates, cupboards, and food are all not there - that is, unless you’re really into the play. However, this version had a surprising twist in the end that was something I have never seen before - it took me aback.

The beginning of the first act can be a bit tedious, if only for the language (keep in mind the play takes place at the start of the 1900's). And though the speech is old, the wardrobe is modern-day.

I would encourage play-lovers to see this classic - it’s entertaining, fun, sad and happy -everything you need in a great play.

TICKETS: THRU SEPTEMBER 12th ONLY! $20 student rush • Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow St.

The Merchant of Venice

By Reyna  Schaechter

This summer, Shakespeare in the Park, housed in Central Park’s Delacorte Theater, is reviving The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare in the Park has become an annual tradition, and because demand for tickets is so high, I arrived at the park at 7:00 AM to receive two tickets for that evening’s performance of “The Merchant of Venice”.

The Merchant of Venice, written by Shakespeare between 1596 and 1598, addresses the anti-Semitism in society at the time. Bassanio, a Christian Venetian, turns to Jewish moneylender Shylock for a loan, naming Antonio as the loan’s guarantor. Shylock agrees under the condition that if Antonio does not repay him by a specific date, Shylock gets to cut a pound of his flesh off. When Antonio defaults on Shylock, Shylock takes him to court, prepared to take his revenge. However, when Portia, a rich heiress, points out a flaw in the contract, the law turns on Shylock and he is forced to convert to Christianity against his will.

I will confess, I had to read the plot summary through a few times to grasp all that was happening. And that was after I saw the show.

Shakespearean English is more difficult to comprehend than the English we’re used to. I think that productions of Shakespeare must be very active in order to keep audiences awake and attentive. Though the court scene in which Shylock’s future is determined was gripping, it was more a result of Shakespeare’s brilliance than the doing of any director or actor. In other scenes, I often found my mind wandering.

Although we have all come to love Al Pacino, his accent threw me off. He spoke in a heavy modern Brooklyn accent, which led me to believe that director Dan Sullivan was attempting to modernize the storyline. However, the Elizabethan costumes screamed “17^th century” to me. Bodices, stomachers, kirtles, ruffs and cloaks were all present in the production. Brooklyn didn’t even exist when these garments were fashionable.

The one thrill of the show was seeing famous figures live. Al Pacino, for example, received an ovation when he entered the stage. In addition, at the end of the show, a bunch of fans crowded around the stage door (myself included). I was lucky enough to take a picture with him.

If you’re in the mood to get up at 5:00 in the morning, wait for six hours in Central Park, sit through an almost three hour show, but then have the opportunity to take a photo with Al Pacino at the end, then go see The Merchant of Venice.

TICKETS: Free tickets for Shakespeare in the Park are distributed via the free line at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, and on the web via our Virtual Ticketing system. Visit www.shakespeareinthepark.org for more info.