Shakespeare in the Park returns to Redwood City

Shakespeare in the Park has hosted free, outdoor theater performances for 43 years, which have the ultimate goal of bringing the iconic stories to everyone, regardless of age, background or identity, Toby Leavitt, executive director of the nonprofit, said. 

“We’re looking to lower real and perceptual barriers that might distance someone from experiencing Shakespeare performed,” Leavitt said. 

The nonprofit’s origins began as a group of actors gathering together and parading through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, pulling participants from the crowd. Once they felt they had enough audience members, the group would jump on a picnic table and perform — or so rumor has it, Leavitt said. 

Regardless of how the group came to be, the spirit of gathering people and creating community has remained a vital component of the outdoor performance series, Leavitt said. 

Whether residents are huge fans of Shakespeare and can recite lines by memory, or they have never been able to experience the pleasure of hearing his plays live, the Shakespeare in the Park series makes the opportunity available to anyone, Brandon Council, coordinator for special events in Redwood City, said.

“You can just go out to the park, but it’s a professional production, from the sets, the costumes, the acting, it truly is a high level professional production that’s easily accessible,” Council said. 

Although Shakespeare may have been required reading for some throughout school, the outdoor performances are still a unique experience to hear the stories as they were meant to be heard — with the cadence and bravado of live performances, Leavitt said. 

Shakespeare in the Park has become a popular favorite among residents over the years, Council said. 

“Something so old, something that’s been around, that has a reputation for always existing — it’s always such a nice surprise to see how many people come out,” Council said. 

Each year, the nonprofit’s members decide which Shakespeare story they will be touring, and is typically selected with the intention to resonate the most with the current moment, Leavitt said. Much of the appeal is connecting stories from a 400-year-old text to today’s society, she said. 

This year, “Two Gentlemen of Verona” features witty banter, love triangles and mistaken identities. It follows two young men as they travel through a small Midwestern town to the alluring promise of California. On their travels, the friends must confront inner conflicts, possibilities of love and success. 

“The issue around what is appropriate behavior between men and women is particularly well explored in this production,” Leavitt said. “It seems to be really speaking to current audience members.” 

The nonprofit has hosted live performances in Redwood City for more than a decade, first held at Sequoia High School in 2012, and there is a shared commitment from both the city and the organization to keep making the shows free and accessible to residents. 

Although it has been increasingly difficult to secure funding to host the performances, individual donations and the support of cities are keeping Shakespeare in the Park a reality, Leavitt said. Redwood City has been a great champion in demonstration their support of the arts at a local level, Leavitt said. 

Performances of The “Two Gentlemen of Verona” will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 9, Aug. 10, Aug. 16, Aug. 17, Aug. 23 and Aug. 24. The stage will be set at Red Morton Park on the grass area along Valota Road.