Festival! Stratford Lights Stage Wednesday, July 31

This is a press release.

Festival! Stratford celebrates its ninth year of free Shakespeare on the on the lawn of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre, featuring five FREE nights of CT Free Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, July 31-Aug. 4.

In Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare tells us "the course of true love never did run smooth," and we are transported to a forest, with runaway lovers and simple townsmen embroiled in the antics of feuding fairies. Identities are mistaken, Potions go awry. Mayhem and hilarity ensue. And, ultimately, true love prevails - all live happily ever after.

The play is directed/produced by Ellen Leiberman of CT Free Shakespeare and presented by Stratford Arts Commission and The Stratford Center for the Arts at The American Shakespeare Theater.

Festival! Stratford takes place on the beautiful grounds of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre, Stratford, overlooking the Housatonic River Delta.

In addition to the nightly 8 p.m. main stage production, Jazz for the Spirit will be performing each night at 6 p.m. Guests may also enjoy an Arts Marketplace Friday 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 12 to 7 p.m., the Quickies performance of short plays in the lobby on Saturday at 3 p.m. and family activities with the Little Red School House on Sunday, as well as, tours of the historical theatre.

For the early risers, there will be morning yoga, zumba and qui gong starting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday to Sunday.

So gather the family or friends (or both), pack a picnic (or get refreshments on site from Christophe’s Crepe Truck, Jerry’s Shakespeare Pizza or Snappy Dawgs and enjoy Shakespeare's most magical and romantic comedy under the stars.

CT Free Shakespeare’s production is fresh and fun -- from fairies to Duke, from forest to Athens, top to Bottom -- there are delights in every scene.

Play begins nightly at 8 p.m. In the event of severe weather, program may be canceled. Daily updated event info can be found at https://www.facebook.com/FestivalStratford. All activities take place at 1850 Elm St., Stratford, CT 06615.

Complete program with times at www.festivalstratford.org