Shakespeare In The Park: How To Get Tickets

CENTRAL PARK, NY – Shakespeare In The Park is back. The widely popular, free series of large-scale Shakespeare productions returns to Central Park’s Delacorte Theater with a performance of Othello on May 29.

This year, the Public Theater' show will run through June 24th. After that, Twelfth Night will run from July 17th until August 19th. Twelfth Night will be a new musical adaptation of the classic play.

Many famous actors have performed in Shakespeare in the Park, including Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, and Denzel Washington.

The annual event has the power to make a splash, too. Last year, the production riled supporters of President Donald Trump by depicting a Trump-like Julius Caesar, who is murdered in the story. As a result, the theater lost funding from Delta and Bank of America, but it seems that Bank of America is back on board for sponsoring this summer’s productions.

Tickets started to be distributed at noon in the park, with a long line of hopeful theatergoers and a maximum of 2 tickets per person. There is also a lottery each day there's a performance through the TodayTix app, from noon to 2:15.

You can bring food and drink, as long as it fits under your seat, but no glass containers. Weekdays tend to be less crowded than weekends. And go sooner rather than later – as word spreads, the crowds typically increase for later shows.

Lead image by John Moore/Getty Images