LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Shakespeare is marking its 63rd annual festival in Central Park.
Located between the trees and Victorian homes of Old Louisville, the Central Park stage has become as much a part of the story as the cast over the years.
"I think Shakespeare was meant to be performed outside," Matt Wallace, producing artistic director, said. "Here we are in historic Old Louisville."
Aside from the location, Wallace said making the festival free is crucial. Kentucky Shakespeare in Central Park is the country's longest running non-ticketed Shakespeare festival.
"Our goal is to take it off a pedestal and hopefully make it accessible because we believe Shakespeare and the arts belong to everybody," he said.
Each year, the Bard's ages-old words, capture audiences and actors alike.
For summer cast member Justin Jackson, the festival is a homecoming.
"I lived maybe two blocks that way," he said. "Being able to be on the stage that I was playing on as a kid feels out of this world."
This summer, the cast will perform 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' 'Macbeth,' and a 1950's version of 'Love's Labor's Lost.'
"They're messy," Mollie Murk, summer cast member, said of the characters in the plays. "So I appreciate getting to resonate with characters that truly are figuring it out."
For Murk, getting to see the faces of the audience in the setting sun makes the performance all the more real.
"We're still in the light, it's still light outside, so you can see everybody's faces and it's not a dark theatre," she said. "There's magic that's alive right now."
When audience members leave, the cast has their own hopes for what they'll take away.
"I hope people leave feeling connected and feeling enchanted," Murk said.
"As long as they left thinking that was good," Jackson said with a laugh.
For these artists the beauty of the Bard is that, from triumph to tragedy, the stories remain timeless.
"I spend a lot of time watching the audience, their reactions," Wallace said. "They might see themselves and their friends and family in these shows and these characters."
You can find the full performance schedule for Kentucky Shakespeare, including additional performances with groups like the Globe Players and Louisville Ballet here.
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