Kentucky Shakespeare Festival returns with new stage, flying actor. Here's what to know

How are you spending your summer evenings? How about watching some (free!) theater? On a new stage? As an actor flies through the air?

The 63rd season of The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park begins May 24 and marks the 10th anniversary of the "Shakespeare in the Park" program.

Running through Aug. 6, the season includes "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Macbeth" and Love's Labor's Lost," plus the Globe Players professional training program for high school students with "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," Late Night Shakes with the Louisville Improvisors and Shakespeare in Dance with the Louisville Ballet.

Each of the production will take place on a new stage, artistic director Matt Wallace said. "It'll be a bit larger, about 3,000 square feet, and all one level. The new set will wrap around all three of the trees, which we'd not done before. I'm excited to have my first shows on the new stage."

Wallace said the company refers to the three large trees near the stage in Central Park as the "Three Sisters." Now, they will be even more integrated into the Shakespeare productions.

Also new this year is a collaboration with the Louisville Fringe Festival, presenting three late-night performances of its "GLOBE arm wrestling," featuring Shakespeare characters going arm-to-arm in a unique live theater experience.

All performances are free of charge at the summer festival at the C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Old Louisville's Central Park, 1340 S. 4th St. The festival is the longest-running non-ticketed Shakespeare festival in the country. Kentucky Shakespeare will kick off its season in May and will travel to different parks around the area.

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The season's first show, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," features a flying Puck, made possible by ZFX Flying Effects. Wallace said Kentucky Shakespeare has worked with the company before, but not for some time. ZFX will be handling the rigging and flight choreography for the trickster fairy character.

"'Midsummer' is one of his most popular comedies, following these four young lovers who venture into the woods along with this bumbling band of players and everything comes alive and unhinged," Wallace said. "We are excited to welcome back Brittany 'Beebee' Patillo as Puck and have some new folks joining our regulars. We also have a little twist on the bombastic character of Nick Bottom, here played by Jennifer Pennington, one of our regulars. She's going to be hilarious."

The show will be followed by a spooky, witch-focused production of "Macbeth," which the company hasn't produced since 2015. Then Wallace will direct "Love's Labor's Lost" set at a resort in the 1950s, reminiscent of "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" or "Dirty Dancing."

"This one is one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies and lesser known," Wallace said. "The play is kind of a coming-of-age, innocent comedy. It being not as well known allows us to take more liberties with it and make it more contemporary than we usually make things. It has a lot of zany characters and it's about how we make fools of ourselves for love."

Performances at the different parks this season will feature a variety of food trucks from Louisville's Food Truck Association, plus Will's Tavern, a Brown-Forman Bar, and Will's Gift Shop. A Kids Globe activities tent will also be available starting each performing night at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit kyshakespeare.com.

Reach food reporter Dahlia Ghabour at dghabour@gannett.com.

2023 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival

All performances are held at C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater in Old Louisville's Central Park unless otherwise noted.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

WHAT: The season kicks off with Shakespeare’s magical, beguiling comedy following four young lovers and a bumbling band of players into an enchanted forest realm of fairies and moonlight revels.

CREDITS: Directed by Matt Wallace, music direction by Russell Cooper

WHEN: May 24-June 11; July 12, 15, 18, 21 (no performances on Mondays or Tuesdays)

'Macbeth'

WHAT: Witches return to Central Park in this haunting and epic tale of blind ambition, unchecked greed, and twisted prophecy – a thrilling tragedy of historic proportions.

CREDITS: Directed by Amy Attaway, fight choreography by Eric Frantz

WHEN: June 15-25; July 11, 14, 19, 22 (no performances on Mondays or Tuesdays in June)

'Love's Labor's Lost'

WHAT: Shakespeare's early romantic comedy is a joyful celebration of love and a coming-of-age story of oaths made and broken, lovers lost and found, and the follies of the heart.

CREDITS: Directed by Matt Wallace

WHEN: June 29-July 9; July 13, 16, 20, 23 (no performances on Mondays or Tuesdays)

Kentucky Shakespeare's The Globe Players present 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'

WHAT: Kentucky Shakespeare's Globe Players professional training program takes the stage, directed by Director of Education Kyle Ware. The cast is comprised of students from multiple area high schools and the production is the culmination of a five-week training program.

CREDITS: Directed b Kyle Ware

WHEN: July 26-30

Louisville Improvisors present 'Late Night Shakes'

WHAT: The Louisville Improvisors return for an eighth year with Late Night Shakes on select Saturdays, bringing late-night improvised Shakespeare plays created from audience suggestions.

CREDITS: Louisville Improvisors

WHEN: 10:30 p.m. on June 10 and 24, July 8 and 22

Louisville Fringe Festival presents 'Globe arm wrestling'

WHAT: Louisville Fringe Festival makes its Kentucky Shakespeare debut, presenting this hilarious late-night show featuring Shakespeare characters and professional wrestling-style antics, going arm-to-arm in this unique live theatrical event.

CREDITS: Louisville Fringe Festival

WHEN: 10:30 p.m. on June 17, July 1 and 15

Louisville Ballet presents 'Shakespeare in Dance: Macbeth'

WHAT: In the final week of the summer season, Louisville Ballet returns to the Festival stage for a sixth season to present 'Shakespeare in Dance,' a Shakespeare-inspired dance premiere based on 'Macbeth.'

CREDITS: Louisville Ballet

WHEN: Aug. 2-6

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Shakespeare Festival returns in Louisville: What to know