Author: Jervelle Frederick

John Greenleaf is a director to keep an eye on. Bringing Shakespeare to life in a park without a stage which has exit wings and curtains is an intimating and difficult task but Greenleaf pulls it off. He manages to use more of the space than you would believe possible. The actors stay in character whether they are running off in the distance or marching onto the “stage”. Every thread in the finished work is held tightly together—that definitely includes the costumes by Jessa-Raye Court which are superb.

Never before had I experienced Shakespeare in Central Park and this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream ushered me in to a new experience with an entertaining bang. I felt like a child being exposed to the theater all over again and the kicker is the entire event is free. Yes, F.R.E.E. I can’t tell you how many soul crushing performances I have witnessed in my day and had to pay on top of it.