NYC Free: Hip Hop Shakespeare in the Park

See Shakespeare in the parks in hip hop instead of iambic pentameter. Now in its eleventh season, the Hip to Hip Theatre Company is presenting FREE family-friendly Shakespeare in the parks in all five boroughs, starting next Tuesday, July 25th, through August 6th.

The group is performing two popular plays, Henry IV, Part 1: The Prince and the Rebel, and Measure for Measure, with madcap capers and epic battles, mistaken identities and unexpected marriages, courtly diplomacy and political sex scandals, and a vibrant cast of unforgettable characters, including the iconic Falstaff.

All Hip to Hip Theatre Company performances feature an interactive kids workshop 30 minutes before each performance. Kids & the Classics is designed for children ages 4 to 12 and gives children a chance to interact with the text by previewing the characters and situations, and creating links between the text and their own lives through theatre games and close reading of text.

Audience members are encouraged to bring a blanket or low chair and picnic fare and enjoy a Shakespeare play in the open air. Performances are 95 minutes.

Henry IV, Part 1: The Prince and the Rebel
Prince Hal is caught between two worlds: in the tavern, he carouses with a wild bunch, led by the scoundrel Falstaff, but at court, the King presses him to shoulder his responsibilities as heir to the throne. Meanwhile, the rebellious Hotspur threatens to destroy the kingdom. Shakespeare’s action-packed coming-of-age story asks “What makes a good leader?”

Measure for Measure
The Duke of Vienna’s puritanical deputy Angelo, tasked with cleaning up a city out of control, revives ancient laws regarding sex and marriage. When he unjustly sentences the young gentleman Claudio to death, Claudio’s sister Isabella pleads his case…and discovers that Angelo is not as virtuous as he seems. Shakespeare’s dark comedy examines the danger of placing power in the wrong hands.

2017 Performance Schedule

Tuesday, July 25th @ 7:30 pm – Henry IV
QUEENS Sunnyside Gardens Park (48-21 39th Avenue)

Wednesday, July 26th @ 7:30 pm -Measure for Measure

QUEENS Flushing Meadows (at the Unisphere)

Thursday, July 27th @ 7:30 pm – Henry IV
QUEENS Crocheron Park (35th Ave & Corbett Road)

Friday, July 28th @ 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
BROOKLYN Fort Greene Park (Monument Steps)

Saturday, July 29th at 6:30 pm – Henry IV
STATEN ISLAND Snug Harbor Cultural Center (1000 Richmond Terrace)

Sunday, July 30th at 6:30 pm – Henry IV

BRONX Van Cortlandt Park (Broadway and 245th Street)

Tuesday, August 1st – Rain Date

Wednesday, August 2nd at 7:00 pm – Henry IV
JERSEY CITY Newport on the Green (14th St & River Drive S.)

Thursday, August 3rd at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Crocheron Park 35th Avenue & Corbett Road Kids

Friday, August 4th at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Voelker Orth Museum (149-19 38th Ave, Flushing)

Saturday, August 5th at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Gantry Plaza State Park (4-09 47th Road)

Sunday, August 6th at 5:00 pm – Henry IV
QUEENS Socrates Sculpture Park (32-01 Vernon Boulevard)
Tuesday, August 8th – Rain Date

Wednesday, August 9th at 6:30 pm – Measure for Measure
MANHATTAN Harlem Meer (110th St & Malcolm X Boulevard)

Thursday, August 10th at 8:00 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Cunningham Park (Union Tpk & 196th Street)

Friday, August 11th at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Voelker Orth Museum (149-19 38th Avenue, Flushing)

Saturday, August 12th at 7:30 pm – Henry IV
QUEENS Gantry Plaza State Park (4-09 47th Road)

Sunday, August 13th at 5:00 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Socrates Sculpture Park (32-01 Vernon Boulevard)

Tuesday, August 15th at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
QUEENS Sunnyside Gardens Park (48-21 39th Avenue)

Wednesday, August 16th at 6:30 pm – Henry IV
MANHATTAN Harlem Meer (110th St & Malcolm X Boulevard)

Thursday, August 17th at 8:00 pm – Henry IV
QUEENS Cunningham Park (Union Tpk & 196th Street)

Friday, August 18th at 7:30 pm – Measure for Measure
SOUTHAMPTON Agawam Park (25 Pond Lane)

Saturday, August 19th at 7:30 pm – Henry IV
SOUTHAMPTON Agawam Park (25 Pond Lane)

Sunday, August 20th – Rain Date

About Hip to Hip:

Hip to Hip is a Queens-based theatre company dedicated to stimulating and developing interest in the theatre arts in underserved communities by providing free, family-friendly, professional productions of popular classics, and free theatre workshops for children, in public spaces. The company is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization serving the New York City area, with an emphasis on the City’s outer boroughs.

Artistic Director Jason Marr explains what drew him to the plays and why they are still relevant, “Measure for Measure and Henry IV jumped out because the characters in both plays seem to be doing the same sort of political soul searching that we Americans have been doing since our recent presidential election… they are also a great fit for our core company of actors and directors.”

This programming is made possible in part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Discretionary funding allocated by New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. More info available at www.hiptohip.org