Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to celebrate 50th season

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, a program of Montana State University, has announced the plays the troupe will perform for its 50th season.

The season officially kicked off in February with Montana Shakes! performing “Bottom’s Dream” for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The summer tour will feature productions of “King Lear” and “Twelfth Night” across Montana and neighboring states. This fall, Shakespeare in the Schools will perform “Macbeth” for students across the state. The schedule will be announced at a later date.

“To be celebrating 50 seasons of amazing performances is truly a special accomplishment,” said Kevin Asselin, executive artistic director of MSIP. “Our greatest pleasure comes from knowing that audiences can discover the magic of Shakespeare, where universal truths of mankind are united through stories that stretch beyond space and time."

The Montana Shakes! production of “Bottom's Dream” went on the road this winter for performances in 60 schools. Written by award-winning playwright, director and MSIP alumnus Matt Foss, the production is based on Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” It tells the story of Nicky Bottom who, along with her three misfit friends, set out to prove they can tell their own version of this classic tale of magic and mayhem using a lot of imagination and a lot of trash.

In addition to their free summer and winter tours, MSIP provides robust educational programs through its summer camp, Shakespeare in the Schools program and Montana Shakes! interactive plays and workshops.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks is an outreach program of the MSU College of Arts and Architecture. Ushering Shakespeare's immortal stories of life, love and tragedy into a modern era, MSIP is dedicated to preserving the cultural traditions of theater and literature.