Shakespeare in High Park is one of Toronto’s favorite summer traditions. Every year, a group of actors gather on the park’s stage to put on a performance of one of the bard’s plays.
The performances take place in the outdoor venue of the High Park Amphitheater. Six evenings a week for the duration of summer, the theater gets packed out by locals and tourists wanting to experience the joys of outdoor theater. If you are on a budget, it’s no problem. The events are a “pay what you want” affair.
This year, the plays being performed are Measure for Measure and Much Ado About Nothing. The former is performed Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while the later is performed Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The show starts at 8pm but we recommend getting there early as the amphitheater packs out pretty quickly.
In their review of Measure for Measure, The Star wrote: “Director Severn Thompson has retained its location in Vienna and set it in what she calls an “alternative now,” the inconsistencies and double standards of which resonate in today’s Ontario.”
The plays tend to have modern twists and aim to artfully bring the classic plays to the modern viewer. Locals tend to return year after year while tourists remember the experience fondly.
This year, Shakespeare in High Park will finish on September 1st.