A musical fête—the Sixth Annual Shakespeare Birthday Celebration, a 455th birthday party for The Bard—is set to play at Bryant Park on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:00 PM. This free-to-the-public outdoor performance features The Drilling Company, know for their Shakespeare in the Parking Lot series. As longtime Bardolators know, William Shakespeare is believed to have been born and to have died on the same date: April 23. This event will show all sides of Shakespeare’s talents, including his role as a musical inspiration.
Drilling Company member Natalie Smith has created numerous pieces of original music using Shakespeare’s text as libretto, including songs. A compilation of Smith’s Shakespearean work was recently released as a full-length album, Then Sing Him Home. The birthday celebration will include Smith and her band sharing these songs as interstitials between the performance of short dramatic and comedic scenes from Othello, Cymbeline, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew. The company of actors, led by director Hamilton Clancy, includes Ivory Aquino, Drew Valins, Alessandro Colla, Jane Bradley, Kathleen Simmonds and Mary Linehan.
Bryant Park Picnic Performances will run from May to October and will include two TBA full-length performances of Shakespeare plays by The Drilling Company; a sneak preview of a new opera production and selections from classics as played by New York City Opera; local and international musicians at the largest accordion festival in the United States, Accordions Around the World; the indie rock focused Emerging Music Festival in mid-August; a participatory Latin Dance Festival in June with salsa, bachata and merengue bands; multi-month series with New York’s top arts organizations and much more to be announced.
For more information about Shakespeare’s birthday celebration and Bryant Park summer events, click here.
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