Welcome to Shakespeare in the Park 2025...
Free. Outdoors. In your neighborhood.
12 full afternoons of performances - Saturdays and Sundays, July 12 through August 17, 2025
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Is this your first-time journey with us? Welcome again! 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:
No need to reserve anything - just show up, settle in, and enjoy. Now that you have a high level overview, let's get you to the shows! |
(SH - To do list for this page....
Assign Essentials, A Bit More, What Happens if then delete from this list as sections are created)
Insert graphic within the text box and a return to top link below. Use the arrow for additional navigation from within the section.
On each page - need to include donation - registration - contact for more info
On this main page - ditto and what to do if you're trying to find the show today and can't
SH note to myself - these title lines above are weird next to the font used in the canva buttons but weebly sucks so...
Stuff to add somewhere:
Contact me
donation link (plus clean up that page - ugly blocks of text like the ugly blocks of text on this page
skating shakespeare
announcements
slideshow of us setting up
chat ai box - help finding something
SEO and keywords etc on all the pages
navigation links between topics - general to specific and back and return to top
Show day weather and what to do if you're trying to find us right now
Send us photos - tag photos -
download flyers - share events - social media
Assign Essentials, A Bit More, What Happens if then delete from this list as sections are created)
Insert graphic within the text box and a return to top link below. Use the arrow for additional navigation from within the section.
- ESSENTIALS MAP with links to location specific pages. include show location and parking location on maps w links to the extra details I put on the map last year
- ESSENTIALS ADA Accessibility in general, Parking in general and getting from parking to the performance spaces in general – seating, mobility, arrival tips
- A BIT MORE Concessions
- ESSENTIALS What to expect? You might be in the sun.
- ESSENTIAL AND A BIT MORE Park specific pages – any special events, restrooms, ADA, driving directions, map, getting from parking to the performance space when to arrive - if it matters - sub page on Park Hosts & Partners, other things to do at the park, driving directions, map... plus questions we always get like why Lake Park isn't under the awning
- FAQs – general catch-all for miscellaneous concerns - why are we in the sun? why don't we just get food trucks? why aren't you on the little stage in our park? why don't you save the front row for blankets? can you turn down the sound? why don't you provide chairs? why don't you go to xyz park?
- A BIT MORE About the Shows – brief description or teaser
- ESSENTIALS Registration and Reservation and Subscribe - PUSH REGISTRATION - WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THE GEDDIT LOCAL APP?
- ESSENTIALS Driving directions main page and links to all location specific pages
- ESSENTIALS What to do when you arrive
- A BIT MORE Meet the Cast
- A BIT MORE Other announcements - like announcing Kelley
- A BIT MORE Attending again - same day - another day
- A BIT MORE Take a survey
- A BIT MORE How we select our parks - what we're looking for. Everything is equal
On each page - need to include donation - registration - contact for more info
On this main page - ditto and what to do if you're trying to find the show today and can't
SH note to myself - these title lines above are weird next to the font used in the canva buttons but weebly sucks so...
Stuff to add somewhere:
Contact me
donation link (plus clean up that page - ugly blocks of text like the ugly blocks of text on this page
skating shakespeare
announcements
slideshow of us setting up
chat ai box - help finding something
SEO and keywords etc on all the pages
navigation links between topics - general to specific and back and return to top
Show day weather and what to do if you're trying to find us right now
Send us photos - tag photos -
download flyers - share events - social media
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Below you'll find the full list of our 2025 performance dates and locations.
Prefer to scan by name? Here's the full list in alphabetical order. Alphabetical List of Parks
SH LINK TO HOW WE SELECT OUR PARKS ETC Add text about 'why don't you try out xyz park? |
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The same basic schedule applies at all show locations, but be sure to check for Encore Extras noted at the end of this section. These are extra-special events, features, or activities unique to the location you’re attending. SH ADD SOMETHING ABOUT NOT HAVING TO STAY ALL DAY. POP IN AND OUT
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
2:45 PM
4:10 PM
5:00 PM
Encore Extras! We’ll add park-specific happenings here as they’re confirmed. If your park’s not mentioned, the main schedule above is your script for the day. ✨ Check for park-specific extras → |
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#1 most important item to bring... Lawn ChairOptimist Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production crew arrives 3 to 4 hours before the first performance to set everything up. We bring a giant van jam-packed with stage decks, sound system, generator, many tables, many tents and a whole lot of bumble-bee boxes filled with show stuff. But, that's just us. All YOU absolutely need to bring is a lawn chair.
why we don't provide chairs Shakespeare in the Park is a BYOLCorB event. Other than reserved spaces (which you can have too - see our Reservations SH LINK TO THIS PAGE info page) ours is a free, first-come, first-served event so you're going to want to see it. So, you need to bring a lawn chair (best idea) or blanket. EXPAND BELOW FOR MORE... |
More about bringing your lawn chair or blanket
When? As soon as we've finished setting up the speakers and marked the edge of the stage, you're welcome to claim your spot. That's generally done by about 1 hour before the first performance begins SH ADD LINK TO SHOW SCHEDULE. Some parks will fill available audience space earlier than others. If we've played that park before, we'll try to share our past experiences on each park-specific page BUT now that we have plenty of stuff to fill an afternoon, there's no reason not to come early anyway! Picnic, play, enjoy your day.
Where? You're welcome to put your lawn chair or a blanket down wherever there's not ones already or there's no reservation sign. Anywhere you like. Unless you really want the extra amplification, you might want to shimmy away from immediately in front of the speaker.
How much space? A seating space is about 3' x 3' which usually provides plenty of room for chairs and knees.
Moving your chair between shows? If you do want to enjoy the whole day, you don't have to move your lawn chair after the first performance. Just leave it there and you're all set for the next show.
A few blanket considerations...
If you want to sit on a blanket to enjoy the show(s), come early and find a spot for your blanket in the first row. Otherwise, you'll be looking at your fellow theatre-goers behinds instead of the performance.
Why? We don't get too many blankets - if any at all - so we don't pre-block front row space exclusively for blankets since most of our audiences don't want to sit for 45 to 90 minutes on the ground.
When is a blanket always a good idea? If you want to come early to picnic or check out our other activities AND want to snag a prime audience seating space BUT want to use your lawn chairs outside the audience seating area, bring a blanket to mark your audience space. We can't keep an eye on your stuff but we also won't move it.
Where? You're welcome to put your lawn chair or a blanket down wherever there's not ones already or there's no reservation sign. Anywhere you like. Unless you really want the extra amplification, you might want to shimmy away from immediately in front of the speaker.
How much space? A seating space is about 3' x 3' which usually provides plenty of room for chairs and knees.
Moving your chair between shows? If you do want to enjoy the whole day, you don't have to move your lawn chair after the first performance. Just leave it there and you're all set for the next show.
A few blanket considerations...
If you want to sit on a blanket to enjoy the show(s), come early and find a spot for your blanket in the first row. Otherwise, you'll be looking at your fellow theatre-goers behinds instead of the performance.
Why? We don't get too many blankets - if any at all - so we don't pre-block front row space exclusively for blankets since most of our audiences don't want to sit for 45 to 90 minutes on the ground.
When is a blanket always a good idea? If you want to come early to picnic or check out our other activities AND want to snag a prime audience seating space BUT want to use your lawn chairs outside the audience seating area, bring a blanket to mark your audience space. We can't keep an eye on your stuff but we also won't move it.
What else to bring? Weather whatnot.
Now that we've belabored lawn chairs and blankets, its all about your comfort. Shows are outdoors in the summer so it will be hot, cold, rainy, beautiful - all in equal turns and everything in between. I think the only thing we haven't experienced at Shakespeare in the Park is snow. Of course, now I've just jinxed us...
Check the weather on the day of the show, pack accordingly and so will we. EXPAND BELOW FOR MORE...
Check the weather on the day of the show, pack accordingly and so will we. EXPAND BELOW FOR MORE...
more about weathering the weather...
Weather appropriate gear...
It's hot...
Sunscreen, a reasonable sized hat and bug spray. Granted, bug spray isn't going to keep you cool but hot weather is sometimes accompanied by bugs. Don't worry if you forget, though. We have extra sunscreen and bug spray on hand. What's a 'reasonable sized hat'? If you sat behind it on someone else's head, could you see the show? If the answer is no, your hat is too big.
Water. We can't guarantee there will be concessions so bring water. Some parks are not convenient to neighborhood shops where you can pop out and pick up provisions, so pack it in.
No umbrellas unless you only plan to use it outside the audience seating area. Similarly to 'reasonable hat size' mentioned earlier, an umbrella will block the view of anyone sitting behind you.
No pop-up tents unless you plan to use it outside the audience seating area and it doesn't need to be staked down. Side note: We might be experimenting with pop-up tents to help provide shade near the stage but we're trained professionals. Meaning: it's really funny to watch a crew of four people trotting around with a pop-up tent trying to gauge the angle of the sun.
It's chilly...
Bring a blanket. We have a few extras.
All weather...
Shoes for walking across uneven ground.
This page SH LINK TO OUR WEATHER ANCHOR will give you more info on how we handle weather.
It's hot...
Sunscreen, a reasonable sized hat and bug spray. Granted, bug spray isn't going to keep you cool but hot weather is sometimes accompanied by bugs. Don't worry if you forget, though. We have extra sunscreen and bug spray on hand. What's a 'reasonable sized hat'? If you sat behind it on someone else's head, could you see the show? If the answer is no, your hat is too big.
Water. We can't guarantee there will be concessions so bring water. Some parks are not convenient to neighborhood shops where you can pop out and pick up provisions, so pack it in.
No umbrellas unless you only plan to use it outside the audience seating area. Similarly to 'reasonable hat size' mentioned earlier, an umbrella will block the view of anyone sitting behind you.
No pop-up tents unless you plan to use it outside the audience seating area and it doesn't need to be staked down. Side note: We might be experimenting with pop-up tents to help provide shade near the stage but we're trained professionals. Meaning: it's really funny to watch a crew of four people trotting around with a pop-up tent trying to gauge the angle of the sun.
It's chilly...
Bring a blanket. We have a few extras.
All weather...
Shoes for walking across uneven ground.
This page SH LINK TO OUR WEATHER ANCHOR will give you more info on how we handle weather.
What else to bring? Comestibles and consumables.
Picnics and snacks and beverages, oh my...
A picnic and snacks and beverages and more snacks and enough to share. (Lesson to myself: Avoid offering advice about snacks when you haven't had lunch yet.) Circling back to the point...
Picnics have always been encouraged at Shakespeare in the Park. Now, with a full afternoon of shows and activities on offer, there's even more reason.
When? We arrive 3 to 4 hours before the first show so feel free to set up and picnic any time after we start setting up. Otherwise, there's a slim possibility we might need to shift you so we can put up the stages.
Where? Any where you like - including from the audience. If you would like to picnic within the audience seating area, please don't use a table and be aware of the amount of space you're using. As people arrive, they will also be selecting some real estate to see the show and if your footprint is more than 3' x 3', we will ask you to condense.
What? Anything you like - except alcohol. Most of our performances are in county parks and they have a no alcohol policy.
Concessions? We miiiiight have a concessions tent with light snacks like chips or cookies but 1. don't take that to the bank 2. don't count on it if you want to picnic. Call it a nice happenstance if it's there. BTW - if we do have concessions, bring cash. Or, bring cash in case we have concessions. Opening at 1pm and closing during shows.
ADD WHY DON'T WE JUST GET FOOD TRUCKS?
Picnics have always been encouraged at Shakespeare in the Park. Now, with a full afternoon of shows and activities on offer, there's even more reason.
When? We arrive 3 to 4 hours before the first show so feel free to set up and picnic any time after we start setting up. Otherwise, there's a slim possibility we might need to shift you so we can put up the stages.
Where? Any where you like - including from the audience. If you would like to picnic within the audience seating area, please don't use a table and be aware of the amount of space you're using. As people arrive, they will also be selecting some real estate to see the show and if your footprint is more than 3' x 3', we will ask you to condense.
What? Anything you like - except alcohol. Most of our performances are in county parks and they have a no alcohol policy.
Concessions? We miiiiight have a concessions tent with light snacks like chips or cookies but 1. don't take that to the bank 2. don't count on it if you want to picnic. Call it a nice happenstance if it's there. BTW - if we do have concessions, bring cash. Or, bring cash in case we have concessions. Opening at 1pm and closing during shows.
ADD WHY DON'T WE JUST GET FOOD TRUCKS?
What else to bring? Time. Your gift to yourself.
does anyone really know what time it is? Well, our stage manager for sure but....
Time.
Come early to check out the theatre games and activities tent. It's drop-by and drop-in. Games are mostly for grown-ups - although we will have all-ages frivolity as well. There might even be a workshop or demo.
Time.
Shakespeare in the Park is a full afternoon and early evening. Give yourself time to enjoy it all.
Time.
To select your audience space. Not all the parks will fill fast. Based on past experiences we'll try to provide our insight on those that might.
Time.
To chit-chat. To enjoy the outdoors with your fellow theatre-goers. You never know who you'll meet.
Time.
To experience the neighborhood. Twelve show days in twelve different neighborhoods. Hello, Milwaukee.
Come early to check out the theatre games and activities tent. It's drop-by and drop-in. Games are mostly for grown-ups - although we will have all-ages frivolity as well. There might even be a workshop or demo.
Time.
Shakespeare in the Park is a full afternoon and early evening. Give yourself time to enjoy it all.
Time.
To select your audience space. Not all the parks will fill fast. Based on past experiences we'll try to provide our insight on those that might.
Time.
To chit-chat. To enjoy the outdoors with your fellow theatre-goers. You never know who you'll meet.
Time.
To experience the neighborhood. Twelve show days in twelve different neighborhoods. Hello, Milwaukee.
Weather
Summer in the city. It will be hot, cold, rainy, beautiful and everything in between. It's a wee bit gritty and unpredictable. The mild-wild west of theatre. In our own weird little way, we kind of dig it.
Weather is a fact of life. When you tour an outdoor theatrical production, weather presents it's own unique challenges and considerations - both for ourselves and our audiences. Hot, cold, beautiful and everything in between? Piece of cake. The real issue is rain. Our approach....
Weather is a fact of life. When you tour an outdoor theatrical production, weather presents it's own unique challenges and considerations - both for ourselves and our audiences. Hot, cold, beautiful and everything in between? Piece of cake. The real issue is rain. Our approach....
Rule #1: Today's weather is not to be trusted
Rule #1: Today's weather is not necessarily what we can expect will really happen tomorrow. Trust us. We know. We do outdoor theatre. You just can't predict what will really happen until it's happening.
If there's even the slightest concern, Melissa (our AEA Stage Manager) and Susan (moi / the person composing this info) are both monitoring online weather channels and radar - perhaps to a crazy-making degree - and we confab constantly.
If there's even the slightest concern, Melissa (our AEA Stage Manager) and Susan (moi / the person composing this info) are both monitoring online weather channels and radar - perhaps to a crazy-making degree - and we confab constantly.
rule #2: shakespeare in the park is a rain or shine show - here's how
Rule #2: Shakespeare in the Park is a rain or shine show. What that means is that every performance day our crew will drive all our stuff to our show location and plan to set up regardless of the weather. Then, should potentially precipitous precipitation present itself...
To set up or not set up? That's a good question.
- If there's a little bit of rain when we arrive, we'll start setting up and hope it doesn't get too bad.
- If there's a downpour occurring when or soon after we arrive, we will hold off on setting up, monitor the weather radar to see if there's a break in the pattern. We'll still wait until the last minute to make the call to set up or not. Definition of 'last minute'.... The point in time when we won't be able to present even one show that day.
After we set up our stage and plethora of whatnot (Yay!) and the weather turns bad (Boo!) We obsessively ask ourselves over and over...
- Is it bad enough to push through or do we need to pause the performance? (Usually, if the rain continues for more than 30 minutes, we're less and less likely to be able to re-start the show.)
- Will it pass in time to re-start the show before it's too late? (Too late may be defined a bunch of ways... too dark to continue.... won't finish in time for the next show to start... and.... )
- Will the weather damage costumes / props / sound equipment?
- Is the audience staying in hopes we'll continue? (They usually do stay!)
- And....
Bottom line - We will do everything in our power to perform.
To set up or not set up? That's a good question.
- If there's a little bit of rain when we arrive, we'll start setting up and hope it doesn't get too bad.
- If there's a downpour occurring when or soon after we arrive, we will hold off on setting up, monitor the weather radar to see if there's a break in the pattern. We'll still wait until the last minute to make the call to set up or not. Definition of 'last minute'.... The point in time when we won't be able to present even one show that day.
After we set up our stage and plethora of whatnot (Yay!) and the weather turns bad (Boo!) We obsessively ask ourselves over and over...
- Is it bad enough to push through or do we need to pause the performance? (Usually, if the rain continues for more than 30 minutes, we're less and less likely to be able to re-start the show.)
- Will it pass in time to re-start the show before it's too late? (Too late may be defined a bunch of ways... too dark to continue.... won't finish in time for the next show to start... and.... )
- Will the weather damage costumes / props / sound equipment?
- Is the audience staying in hopes we'll continue? (They usually do stay!)
- And....
Bottom line - We will do everything in our power to perform.
helpful hints for you, our audience
Now that you know the machinations we're undertaking, play along too. The Accuweather site is pretty good. Then, the What to Bring section on weather gear is a handy planner SH INSERT LINK TO THIS SECTION OF WHAT TO BRING
Above all else, please register if you want to take the guess work out of how rain might impact the day. To the best of our ability, we will get the word out to you vs you experiencing an unpleasant surprise when you arrive and there's either no-one there or one, sad, soaked crew member to deliver the bad news.
SH INSERT THE LINK TO REGISTER
Above all else, please register if you want to take the guess work out of how rain might impact the day. To the best of our ability, we will get the word out to you vs you experiencing an unpleasant surprise when you arrive and there's either no-one there or one, sad, soaked crew member to deliver the bad news.
SH INSERT THE LINK TO REGISTER
and, in case you were wondering about other options...
Beyond show day....
Q: Why do we try so hard to bring you the performances?
A: It's today or we'll just see you next summer. For that park, anyway.
Q: Why don't you just move indoors?
A: We don't have an indoor option and, even if we did, we couldn't. Shakespeare in the Park is designed to be performed on the set you see and with the configuration that supports that. It's a painstaking process to identify parks that will accommodate our footprint.
Q: Can't you just reschedule?
Q: We can't reschedule the park we must cancel due to rain because our season dates are finite. Every show day we can do has been scheduled somewhere. If we miss your park, we miss it. And, it breaks our hearts when it happens.
Q: Why do we try so hard to bring you the performances?
A: It's today or we'll just see you next summer. For that park, anyway.
Q: Why don't you just move indoors?
A: We don't have an indoor option and, even if we did, we couldn't. Shakespeare in the Park is designed to be performed on the set you see and with the configuration that supports that. It's a painstaking process to identify parks that will accommodate our footprint.
Q: Can't you just reschedule?
Q: We can't reschedule the park we must cancel due to rain because our season dates are finite. Every show day we can do has been scheduled somewhere. If we miss your park, we miss it. And, it breaks our hearts when it happens.
