50 YEARS OF ‘SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK’
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanLike clockwork, when the temperatures rise to warm levels and the sun begins to shine brightly high in the sky above the massive concrete jungle of New York City, it brings out New Yorkers from their homes and apartments and into the colossal Central Park for relaxation, exercise and most notably entertainment.
One of the most enchanting forms of entertainment is the Delacorte Theater right in the heart of Central Park. It is really quite magical as it is nestled between Turtle Pond, the shadows of Belvedere Castle and it is wide open to the world, the sun, the moon and the sparkling stars. It is the permanent summertime home of free ‘Shakespeare in the Park’.
This year was even more extraordinary as the theater celebrated its 50th anniversary. We can look back and treasure the talented performances of brilliant actors such as George C. Scott in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, James Earl Jones in ‘The Tempest’, Sam Waterston in ‘Hamlet’, Meryl Streep in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and other endowed actors that read like a roster of award-winning nominations. Some of the names include Denzel Washington, Blythe Danner, Christopher Walken, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Al Pacino and even most recently Amy Adams. Many actors started their careers right here at this theater.
CBS
This is an ingenious way to reach a widespread audience making the arts accessible to all through productions of challenging new plays, musicals and innovative stagings of the classics. Every performance space is handicap accessible with free sign language-interpreted and open-captioned performances offered during summer productions. It is an enjoyable atmosphere to let loose and experience nature as it is not uncommon to see a raccoon or a squirrel or two sneak up on stage.
As Kevin Kline was quoted as saying about performing at The Delacorte Theater, ” There is something about doing it outdoors which is special.”
Joe Papp, a former CBS stage manager, was the founder of this public theater in 1962. He always wanted to bring the works of Shakespeare directly to the people and this was the way to reach the greatest number of lovers of art and culture, regardless of their ability to pay, as with the classics, money should never be an underlying factor. Philanthropist George Delacorte helped to make this idea a reality.
In the past 50 years, all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays have been performed in front of over 4 million people.
Waiting in line for free tickets to this theater as summertime rolls around has become a New York City tradition. It draws crowds in at wee hours of the morning just to earn their chance to witness talent at its ultimate finest.
There is no shouting, there is no yelling, no angry beeps from taxi cab drivers, just the solitude of the surroundings to easily contend with and that is what makes ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ so miraculous.
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