Free theater

Anne Hathaway

Shakespeare in the Park
The granddaddy of free theater offers a cross-dressing Anne Hathaway, who befuddles Raúl Esparza and Audra McDonald in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Wednesday 10–July 12). That’s followed by a potentially provocative take on Euripides’ The Bacchae (August 11–30), staged by iconoclastic director JoAnne Akalaitis and featuring a choral score by Philip Glass.Delacorte Theater, Central Park, enter at 81st St and Central Park West or 79th St and Fifth Ave (212-539-8500, publictheater.org)

New York Classical Theatre
The company stages King Lear through June 21 in Central Park, before moving it downtown to Castle Clinton where it plays June 23–July 7, alongside free drama workshops for families on select evenings. Central Park, enter at 103rd St • Castle Clinton, Battery Pl at State St (212-252-4531, newyorkclassical.org)

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
For a grittier, street-theater Shakespearean experience, check out this scrappy company’s stagings of Midsummer Night's Dream (July 9–25) and Measure for Measure (July 30–August 15) on the concrete of the Lower East Side. Broome St at Ludlow (212-877-0099, drillingcompany.org)

Theatreworks USA
Director John Rando (Urinetown) leaves behind the subject of pay-to-pee policy in favor of work slowdowns in the barnyard with Click, Clack, Moo (July 21–August 28), a new musical for the kids about a bunch of typewriting cows protesting their working conditions. Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St at Bedford St (twusa.org)

Lark Play Development Center
See the company that just won an Obie Award for its new-play development work: You’ll enjoy gratis readings of shows by Arthur Kopit, Lisa Kron and Thomas Bradshaw throughout June in Lark’s third Annual Playwrights’ Workshop Readings series. Lark Studio, 939 Eighth Ave between 55th and 56th Sts, second floor (212-246-2676, larktheatre.org)

Sunshine Series 2009
Through June 16, Epic Theatre Ensemble offers free developmental readings of political plays and musicals, including a new tuner based on Pierre Corneille’s The Cid (Monday 8 and Tuesday 9) and Home Front (June 11), a new drama from Warren Leight, who penned the award-winning Side Man. East 13th Street Theater, 136 E 13th St between Third and Fourth Aves (212-239-1770, epictheatrectr.org)

York Theatre Company
Check out new musicals before they become hot tickets on or Off-Broadway via the free readings York offers several times each month. Coming up: a June 16 reading of White Rose, about a student protest in 1942 Munich, and Luck, a fractured folktale, on July 9. St. Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Ave between 53rd and 54th Sts (212-935-5820, yorktheatre.org )

Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
A reading of a new play by Lucy Thurber (author of Where We’re Born and Scarcity), an evening of performance by artists from East Africa and the launch of a play anthology dedicated to the South Asian diaspora are representative of the richly varied free events offered year-round at this ambitious arts center. The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave between 34th and 35th Sts (212-817-1860, web.gc.cuny.edu/mestc/)

Theater for the New City
Tally Ho!, or Navigating the Future, a company-created topical musical from TNC’s award-winning Street Theater company, will crisscross the five boroughs, setting up camp in a retro-’60s sort of way in parks and playgrounds (August 1–September 13). 212-254-1109, theaterforthenewcity.net

The Brick Theater
The Happy Pill Cabaret and opening-night Prescription Pill Party kick off the Brick’s Antidepressant Festival on Friday 5. You’ll not only have the chance to preview this monthlong festival, intended as a sort of theatrical equivalent to Prozac, but you also might get your head shrunk by downtown favorite Dr. Lisa Levy, S.P. (self-proclaimed), who’ll set up couch at the party. 575 Metropolitan Ave between Lorimer St and Union Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-907-6189, bricktheater.com)

TeatroStageFest
Get an international groove going with the free panel discussions about Chilean and Argentinean theater and Latina playwrights. There will also be a reading of works by young-playwrights that might introduce a new Nilo Cruz or Caridad Svich. 212-695-4010, teatrostagefest.org

—Andy Propst

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