Elsewhere in this issue you'll find recommendations of shows to see over the summer: world premieres, musicals, LGBT shows—you know, the usual stuff. Thanks to air-conditioning, our major theaters operate year-round now so such lists may be helpful.
But I think summer requires a different approach from the other three seasons, for it's when dozens of theater troupes blossom that operate only in the summer. Some are in Chicago, some are in popular vacation destinations such as Door County and Saugatuck, and a few are destinations in their own right. Many, but not all, operate outdoors, offering everything from the classics to folklore musicals to murder mysteries. The particular show isn't as important as enjoying a different type of theater experience, one which often comes with a wonderful picnic or a Victorian B&B as part of the bargain.
Greater Chicago
First Folio Theatre, Mayslake Peabody Estate, Oak Brook—For its 18th outdoor season, First Folio offers a play perfectly suited to an open-air setting, Shakespeare's rollicking comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor, July 7-Aug. 10. It's on the rolling and lovely grounds of a once-private estate complete with gardens, and you really will think you're in the country as love in the suburbs of London plays out in the suburbs of Chicago. Plenty of free parking; picnics encouraged. First Folio operates year-round as well, within the restored Peabody Mansion. www.firstfolio.org; $30-$37
Oak Park Festival, Austin Gardens, Oak Park—Watch the rabbits and fire flies play in the background as you picnic and watch the sun go down, surrounded by the gracious homes of the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District. For its 40th-anniversary season, Oak Park Festival offers Hamlet, June 14-July 19, and The Importance of Being Earnest July 26-Aug. 23. Street parking is easy to find within a block or two, and the CTA Green Line can get you there as well. www.oakparkfestival.com; $27
Shakespeare in the Parks, numerous dates and locations—At least three theater companies are offering free performances of Shakespeare in various Chicago public parks over the summer. Check the websites of the individual troupes for details, or go to the Chicago Park District website. Spectralia Theatre Company offers a 90-minute, family-friendly version of Two Gentlemen of Verona in seven different parks, June 22-Aug. 3 ( www.spectralia.org ). Chicago Shakespeare Theater brings A Midsummer Night's Dream to 18 city parks ( many of them on the South and West sides ), July 18-Aug. 17, traveling around in a big, easily identified truck ( www.chicagoshakes.com ). Midsommer Flight returns for the third year to three North Side parks with Much Ado About Nothing, July 19-Aug. 24 ( www.midsommerflight.wordpress.com ) .
Vacation favorites
American Folklore Theatre, Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, Wisconsin—Now in its 24th year, this company presents a rotating repertory of family-friendly, 90-minute musicals, all of them original and based on life, both past and present. This year's June 11-Aug. 23 season includes Guys on Ice ( as in ice fishing ), Packer Fans from Outer Space and Strings Attached.
Performances are in a well-equipped amphitheater in Peninsula State Park on the shores of Green Bay in Door County, about six hours drive due north of Chicago. The park offers numerous pleasures such as camping, hiking, biking, golf, swimming and a 131-year old lighthouse. The park charges a fee for day-trippers and campers, but you can enter at no charge just to see the show. www.folkloretheatre.com; $20-$27.
Door Shakespeare, Bjorklunden Estate, Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin—More Door, this time on the so-called "quiet side" of the peninsula facing the body of Lake Michigan, versus Green Bay. Since 1995, Door Shakespeare has offered outdoor classics within the beautifully-wooded grounds of a former private estate of more than 400 acres. This season's shows are King Lear and The Comedy of Errors, running in repertory July 1-Aug. 16. www.doorshakespeare.com; $27-$37
Peninsula Players, Fish Creek, Wisconsin—Still more Door. For 79 years, the Peninsula Players ( PP ) has been a don't-miss attraction for Door County vacationers and summer colonists. A classic summer stock operation with a resident company, PP offers a June 17-Oct. 19 season of a musical, a whodunit, a comedy, a drama and a world premiere all presented in a new weather-protected pavilion. The PP is the summer home for many award-winning Chicago actors such as Greg Vinkler, Sean Fortunato and Carmen Roman. Directly on the shore of Green Bay, Peninsula Players has plenty of parking, gardens, picnic grounds, a bar, perfect sunset views and a nightly post-show bonfire. www.peninsulaplayers.com; $35-$44
Lakeside Shakespeare Company, Frankfort, Michigan—Well-known Chicago actor and director Elizabeth Laidlaw founded this company in 2003, offering free summertime Shakespeare to citizens of Benzie County and much of Northern Michigan beyond. For its 12th season under Laidlaw's leadership, Lakeside Shakes presents Richard III and Twelfth Night in repertory, July 17-25, featuring a number of established Off-Loop artists. All performances are at Tank Hill in Frankfort. Street parking is available and picnics are encouraged. www.lakesideshakespeare.org
Destination theaters
American Players Theatre, Spring Green, Wisconsin—Near Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and the Wisconsin River ( canoeing, fishing, nude beach ), American Players Theatre ( APT ) has offered a rotating repertory of classic plays for 35 years, attracting a wide audience from the Upper Midwest and beyond. Spring Green has country charms plus good restaurants ( and a very good bookstore ).
Chicago directors such as William Brown and James Bohnen make APT their summer home, and help make APT a don't-miss three-day summer destination. The troupe has spectacular wooded grounds on a hillside above the river with plenty of parking and picnic tables ( and gas-fired grills so you can bbq ). Plays are offered in a handsome 1100-seat outdoor amphitheater and a 200-seat indoor space. For 2014 Romeo and Juliet, Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma, Stoppard's Travesties and Mamet's American Buffalo are among the 10-play rotating repertory, June 7-Nov. 9. www.americanplayers.org; $44-$70
Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Bloomington, Illinois—On the handsome, landscaped lawn of Tudoresque Ewing Manor stands a modern amphitheater where Illinois Shakespeare Festival ( ISF ) will stage Elizabeth Rex, Much Ado About Nothing and Antony and Cleopatra in repertory, July 8-Aug. 9. Stay two days and see all three plays and enjoy the Victorian architecture of Bloomington, the freshly-sourced restaurants, a friendly B&B and the charms of country antiquing or a tour of the Beer Nuts factory. The ISF has been going strong since 1978, supplementing the plays with picnicking on the garden grounds and strolling minstrels for your pre-show pleasure. www.thefestival.org; $31-$47
These all are outdoor venues so make certain you bring bug spray and a warm garment against the chill night air. If you choose to see a matinee, you may need sunblock. Many of these theaters offer discounts for seniors, students or even children, and the festival destinations offer money-saving multi-show passes. Their websites are chock-full of useful info on places to stay, places to eat and things to do.
Finally, while it's beyond the scope of this outdoors story, there are some indoor theaters offering old-fashioned summer stock theater—you know, musicals and comedies done in an old barn ( often ) with a resident company of actors. Among the best and most atmospheric are the Barn Theatre ( Augusta, Michigan ), the Round Barn Theatre ( Nappanee, Indiana ), the Little Theatre-on-the-Square ( Sullivan, Illinois ) and Timberlake Playhouse ( Mt. Carroll, Illinois ), all of them air-conditioned.
