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Shakespeare in Clark Park is a theatre company committed to presenting free, outdoor productions of Shakespeare’s plays, creating a cultural event accessible to the Clark Park neighborhood and the greater Philadelphia area. While engaging the community and expanding Philadelphia’s summertime cultural scene, Shakespeare in Clark Park re-imagines the world of the park through the works of Shakespeare.

History
Shakespeare in Clark Park was formed in the fall of 2005 by Marla Burkholder, Maria Möller, Tom Reing and Whitney Estrin. In our inaugural season, Shakespeare in Clark Park presented four performances of Twelfth Night, drawing an audience of over 2,000 people. Toby Zinman of The Philadelphia Inquirer said of the production:

"Clark Park is not just a venue, but a real place, where a perfectly shaped, immense tree provides a set of real theatricality. The actors come down the hill into their next scene, and darkness falls just as the plot turns grim. The company has cobbled together, with borrowed footlights and generosity of talent, a real treat for a summer evening."

We've grown since that first summer. A single Saturday night performance in "the Bowl" can find over 1,000 people coming out with their picnics. Free Shakespeare in the vibrant green space of Clark Park has become a much-anticipated annual event in Philadelphia. And J. Cooper Robb of The Philadelphia Weekly observed in 2009:

"It’s an impressive achievement for any theater company to last four years. It’s even more impressive when you consider the unique troupe Shakespeare in Clark Park has never charged so much as a penny for their performances."

We hold a core value that public art is both important and necessary, and are committed to continuing to provide access to cost-accessible and surprising performance in a community-based environment. We believe in the continuing value of presenting Shakespeare’s work to as wide as possible an audience, and that participating in this cultural tradition allows for an extraordinary level of self-recognition and personal fulfillment for audiences and artists alike.

Radical Community Engagement
In 2014, Shakespeare in Clark Park incorporated Radical Community Engagement as a pillar of their mission. Beginning with HENRY IV: YOUR PRINCE AND MINE where they incorporated a 100-person community army into their professional production, SCP has gone on to include community members in their annual summer production since, making theatre not just for the people of Philadelphia, but with them.

In 2015, WINTER'S TALE incorporated a chorus of Philadelphian children who played the water and a gigantic bear puppet. In 2016, SCP partnered with local dance troupe Team Sunshine to bring a flashmob of Lindy Hoppers to THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. In 2017, another large community chorus played the warring tribes in CORIOLANUS. In 2018, a live rock and roll band of kids ages 8 to 18 scored TWELFTH NIGHT. In 2019, U.S. veterans came together to play Lear's loyal knights in KING LEAR.

The Park Plays
In the summer of 2021, two Philadelphia parks will set the stage for The Park Plays--two originall plays, co-created and co-starring the people of their surrounding neighborhoods.

The Park Plays are inspired by Shakespeare in Clark Park's July production, but will be completely original, new works, co-created by community members and the professional theater artists of SCP. Each play will be produced at no cost to their communities, in fact community members receive a stipend for their participation, and will be presented to the public free of charge.

This expansion is Shakespeare in Clark Park's most robust commitment yet to their core belief of Radical Community Engagement: making theater by, for, and with the people of Philadelphia. This is also their first foray into expanding outside of West Philadelphia, performing in parks and neighborhoods in other areas of the city that crave accessible art.

Production History
2020 - EVERY EVERYMAN

2019 - KING LEAR

2018 - TWELFTH NIGHT

2017 - CORIOLANUS

2016 - THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

2015 - WINTER'S TALE

2014 - HENRY IV: YOUR PRINCE AND MINE

2013 - THE TEMPEST

2012 - THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

2011 - MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

2010 - A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

2009 - THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

2008 - AS YOU LIKE IT

2007 - ROMEO AND JULIET

2006 - TWELFTH NIGHT

SCP in Quarantine
In 2020, Shakespeare in Clark Park had plans to produce not one but three productions throughout the summer, launching their Park Plays expansion. These productions were postponed in Quarantine.

SCP rerouted to bring a socially-distant, mobile Pageant Wagon to select streets throughout West Philadelphia. This wagon was built in collaboration with Curio Theatre Company who designed the wagon to both hitch to the back of a van and also strategically unfold into a 20ft stage. The play was devised via zoom with local Philadelphia talent, and strict social distancing measures were put into place once rehearsals became in-person. These included exclusively outdoor rehearsals, daily health check-ins, and the ability for any performer to not show up to a performance for health concerns and have their track covered by someone else.

The play, EVERY EVERYMAN, was a contemporary take on the medieval classic EVERYMAN. It ran for seven performances in blocks selected for diversity, concentration of SCP supporters, and practicality to set up a mobile stage. Audiences were invited to sit socially-distant in the street and watch the 40 minute, family-friendly play. The safety measures were a success; all artists and audience members were completely healthy throughout the process.