Shakespeare in the Arb is an annual event, presented in the open, in Nichols Arboretum. Nichols Arboretum is a 123-acre (49.7 hectares) heavily wooded park, with large landscape lawns surrounded by the woods, a river, and steep hills. The plays are moving events, with both performers and audience moving from location to location within the park as the play progresses. At each location a segment of the play is performed. The plays begin in the early evening, and are put on near the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

as no artificial lighting is used. The park is near to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, and downtown

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

History

Shakespeare in the Arb was founded in 2001 by Inger Schultz, and Kate Mendeloff. Mendeloff has been the artistic director since its inception.

Performances

Each year one play is presented. Most years, three weeks (Thurs-Sun) of performances are given. They all begin fours hours before sunset, at 6:30 p.m. local time ( EDT). Each performance takes about 2.5 hours. The production travels from spot to spot within the arboretum to create the different scenes. "As one critic commented, 'The actors used the vastness of its Arb retumstage to full advantage, making entrances from behind trees, appearing over rises and vanishing into the woods.'" The arboretum is a public park, situated in the center of an urban area, next to a railroad track, and a large medical center. Thus performances can be interrupted by trains,

medevac Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

helicopters, and other park visitors. The weather is a factor, with large rainstorms always possible.

Reception

Since the beginning of its second season, Shakespeare in the Arb, has sold out nearly every performance. Tickets are sold on the day of the performances, and are first-come, first-served. The line for tickets begins forming two hours before the box office opens, as "Shakespeare in the Arb is a hugely popular local summer tradition."

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A particular favorite is ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

''. The play—with its natural setting, structure, and language—is perfect for presenting in the arboretum, which features dense heavy woods with mature trees, large lawns, steep hills, and a river. In 2022, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' was presented for the fourth time since the festival began.

References

External links

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Facebook page {{University of Michigan Shakespeare festivals in the United States Culture of Ann Arbor, Michigan University of Michigan