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Is this your first-time journey with us?
Welcome! We're so glad you're curious about Shakespeare in the Park in Milwaukee. Every summer, Optimist Theatre brings free, professional productions of Shakespeare's plays to Milwaukee's parks and other public green spaces. It's our way of making great theatre accessible to everyone - no tickets, no gates, no barriers. Our 2025 season features 12 afternoons of performances across six weekends with shows on Saturdays and Sundays from July 12 through August 17. You'll find us in parks and public green spaces throughout the city. An overview of what you can expect:
Just show up, settle in, and enjoy. Now that you have a high level overview, let's get you to the shows! |
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Navigating The Essentials
Below, you’ll find everything you need to attend Shakespeare in the Park 2025 — presented roughly in order of priority. 🧭 Choose how you’d like to explore:
💡 Helpful Hints for Getting From Here to There and Everywhere:
That’s enough from us — let’s get to it! 👇 Time sensitive, temporary note... this whole page and all the sections are brand new.
Some sections on this page are still in the process of being created / updated and should be clearly marked. We're also trying for stylistic consistency but these have been crafted over the course of a few weeks so please forgive aesthetic incongruities. |
Shakespeare in the Park and these webpages are works in progress.
Information is added as soon as it's available.
Information is added as soon as it's available.
Coming Soon....
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Get ready to dive headfirst into a totally rad Shakespearean summer, where sun, swagger, and sharp-tongued banter rule the stage. This year’s productions — The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing — are reimagined with a blast of 1980s beach party flair, blending big laughs, bold choices, live music, and a few surprises under the neon sky.
Whether it’s Beatrice and Benedick volleying zingers aboard a Yacht Rock cruise, or Katherina and Petruchio matching wits on a sun-soaked boardwalk, one thing’s clear: Love is a Battlefield. Each show day is a full experience. Before and between the performances, The PLAY’s the Thing invites you to dive into fun, hands-on activities inspired by Shakespeare and ‘80s pop culture. Early Music Now musicians will also set the scene, performing Renaissance-era music — in totally tubular 1980s beach party attire. Both plays are performed by the same trio of powerhouse performers each day. Shrew runs about 80 minutes, while our puppet-powered Much Ado is a breezy 45-minute romp. Expect quick changes, brilliant physical comedy, inventive staging (and puppetry!), and maybe even a little Hall & Oates. |
The Taming of the Shrew...
Set against a neon sun-soaked 1980’s beach party backdrop, this fast and funny Taming of the Shrew brings swagger, slapstick, and surf-rock vibes to Shakespeare’s classic battle of wills... |
Much Ado About Nothing
(Puppet Edition)... Our puppet-powered Much Ado steers the audience into a Yacht Rock cruise experience, where Beatrice and Benedick trade zingers in this breezy nautical comedy... |
The PLAY’s the Thing…
Welcome to Optimist's series of lively, interactive experiences happening before and between performances. You might encounter activities like: Ten Things I Hate About You – A look at The Taming of the Shrew... |
Early Music Now musicians will be performing musical selections inspired by the plays of William Shakespeare. It is ironic that The Taming of the Shrew was one of very few plays written by the Bard that does not include a single song and yet...
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A Day at Shakespeare in the Park
The same basic schedule applies every day and at all show locations. You're welcome to drop in for anything that strikes your fance at anytime or stay the whole day. Interested in knowing more about the shows and activities? Follow the More... link below. 1:00 PM
Extras! Occasionally, we'll add an extra special attraction that only occurs at a specific park on that specific day. When that happens, we'll note them here and on the pages created for that park. |
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Ready to Plan Your Excursion?
We have three ways to explore our summer schedule:
🗓️ Calendar View Our interactive calendar widget will appear here soon. 🏞️ By Park Name (Alphabetical Order) Click any park name in the green grid below to visit its detailed info page:
📅 By Date (Visual Event Grid Below) Each graphic below links to the full location-specific page for that show day. (Park pages are in process and links will be added as they are completed.) TIP - Both the location-specific pages available by link here AND the Map & Directions section up next will help you find us. * True - not all of out performance locations are technically parks but let's make it easy and roll with that as a universal term. |
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 Shakespeare in the Park 2025 Google Map Link
Finding Us with the 2025 Google Map
Click the image to the right to open our custom Google Map of all Shakespeare in the Park 2025 locations. Most of the parks and public spaces we perform in are large, and a street address alone won’t always get you right to the performance area. That’s why we’ve created this map with multiple pins for each location to guide your entire journey, including:
👉 If the legend isn’t visible, especially on mobile, tap the three dots in the upper-left corner of the map screen to reveal it. 📍 Each pin includes GPS coordinates to make finding us even easier. Top tip: Copy the parking coordinates into your preferred map app for directions, and keep the Google Map open to guide you from your car to the show. 📱Another Tip: Bookmark the map on your phone for easy access the day of the performance — especially if you’re visiting a park for the first time. Bonus Tip: All of the information you see on this map (and lots more) is also included on each location-specific info page accessible from the "All Dates & Locations" section above— use whichever resource is most helpful to you - or BOTH! |
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📝 Register, Reserve, or Subscribe?
Not sure which is which? You’re not alone. We offer three ways to stay connected, plan ahead, and enjoy the show:
💌 [Click here to Subscribe to the Optimist Theatre newsletter ➤] 👇 Keep scrolling to learn how Registering and Reserving work! |
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Register, Register, Register.
Here, Here, Here. (As soon as the registration link is ready, that is, it’ll be right here!) Why Should You Register? If we know when and where you plan to attend, we can keep you posted about important updates for that specific date and location — like inclement weather, illness, or any other unexpected changes. How does it work? Registering simply connects your email address to a specific performance. That's it. A Few Important Things to Know About Registering:
P.S. We know "registration" sounds a little more official than it really is — but it’s the best word we have for now! Thanks for rolling with it and click here to read a tiny bit more about the distinction. P.P.S. Still a little fuzzy on the distinction between REGISTERING to attend a performance and RESERVING to attend a performance? Reservations are described in detail here... |
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As a thank-you for your support...
... and honestly, the only tangible perk beyond knowing you’re making all of this possible — you can reserve a premium spot on the lawn to enjoy the show! For a $75 donation per person*, we’ll block off a 3' x 3' prime piece of parkland just for you. You won’t need to arrive super early to stake your claim — your spot will be held until 15 minutes before showtime. (Ah! That makes two perks, doesn’t it?) Seeing more than one show on the same day? Reserve a space for the first show, and you’re welcome to leave your lawn chair in place for later performances. Sneaky? Nah. We let everyone do that if they’re staying for another show! A Few More Things to Know About Reservations:
Still a little fuzzy on the difference between registration and reservation? We explain it HERE... |
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Welcome to Optimist's series of lively, interactive experiences happening before and between performances at 1:00 and 3:00 pm every show day!
You might encounter activities like:
👉 Click for more information |
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#1 Most Important Thing - Your Lawn Chair
Shakespeare in the Park is a BYOLC-or-B event — Bring Your Own Lawn Chair or Blanket! And while you’re at it, maybe pack a snack, check the weather, and give yourself a little time to enjoy the day. ➕ Want the full scoop on number 2, 3 and 4 most important things to bring? Click More... below |
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☀️🌧️ Weather: Hot, Cold, Beautiful, and Everything in Between
Summer in Milwaukee can be gritty, glorious, and totally unpredictable — and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Performing outdoors brings its own challenges and rewards. We’re a rain-or-shine show, but the real wrinkle is rain — and we’ve got a plan. 👉 [Click here to read how we make the call and what to expect ➤] |
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🪑 What To Do When You Arrive
You’ve made it to the park — now what? Our specific recommendations are on the location-specific pages but generally speaking, we suggest giving yourself at least 30 minutes before the first show you plan to see. That’ll give you time to park, find the performance area, choose a good spot for your lawn chair, then maybe grab a snack or play a game or two. Then, maybe.... oh, relax or something?
Once you’re near the performance space (look for our signage!), here’s what to expect:
And finally — relax! Say hi to your neighbors, soak up the park atmosphere, and get ready for an afternoon of Shakespeare under the sky. 👉 [Want tips on what to bring? Click here ➤] |
