During the summer months, when the weather starts to get warmer, many people would rather spend their time outside. It’s a great time of year to see a lot of outdoor theatrical and musical productions. Below are our top picks of the best outdoor theatres to visit this summer.
Sundance Resort Theatre – Sundance, Utah
Winter isn’t the only good time to visit Utah. During the summer months Sundance hosts the Sundance Summer Theatre. From July 24- August 16 visitors can watch a classic musical that is sponsored by Utah Valley University. This year’s featured musical is Fiddler on the Roof. There’s also plenty of other things to do in Sundance including river rafting and horseback riding.
Kansas City Starlight Theatre – Kansas City, Missouri
The Kansas City Starlight Theatre is pretty large and has the capacity to accommodate close to 8,000 people. They will be hosting a variety of Broadway productions this year including The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music. The 2014 summer season will be running through September 14th.
Central Park – New York City
You don’t have to visit an indoor theatre while in New York to catch a great show. Now through August 17th, Central Park will be showcasing performances that feature Shakespeare’s works. This free event has been taking place since 1962 and has become known as The Public Theater’s free Shakespeare in the Park. Famous actors such as Natalie Portman and Kevin Kline are among some of the actors in the past who have been part of these performances. Despite the fact that it’s free, tickets will be needed for entry and they are handed out at noon each day. There’s also an online ticket lottery as well. Shows do sell out quickly so if you want tickets you will need to arrive there early. This year’s featured productions are King Lear and Much Ado About nothing and will star Annette Bening and Jonathan Lithgow.
The Old Globe – San Diego, California
The Old Globe is one of the smallest outdoor theatres in the country and provides a truly intimate experience. With only 605 seats, visitors can really feel as if they are part of the show. The Old Globe has year round productions of both dramas and musical. For the summer season, which goes through September 14th, performances will include The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Othello and will feature Richard Thomas and Blair Underwood.
The MUNY – St. Louis, Missouri
The MUNY is not only the country’s oldest outdoor theatre, but the largest one as well. It opened in 1917 and has the capacity to seat 11,000 people. The summer season is highly anticipated as there are almost as many Broadways stars present as there are in New York City. This summer’s shows include Seussical, The Addams Family and Grease. The summer seasons runs through August 17th.
Don’t stay indoors this summer! Go out and watch a musical or show at an outdoor theatre. There’s no shortage of places to go to see an outdoor performance this summer.
