Editor’s note: This story, which was originally published June 30 at 3:47 p.m. was updated July 1 at noon to reflect that the July 1 performance at Brookside Gardens has been canceled.
Originating in New York City’s Central Park in 1954, Shakespeare in the Park—presentations of Shakespeare plays, often outdoors for free—has become a summer tradition beyond the city. This summer, you can catch three productions of the Bard’s classics around Montgomery County.
The Comedy of Errors, Hon!
Set in Baltimore with such characters as Edgar Allan Poe, Billie Holiday and Frederick Douglass, this absurdist version by Chesapeake Shakespeare Company puts a twist on the William Shakespeare comedy. The county’s Shakespeare Beyond performances take place July 8 at Lake Needwood Mansion in Rockville and July 15 at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds. The family-friendly events are free, and concessions will be available for purchase on-site. mocoparks.org/chesapeakeshakespeare
The Comedy of Errors
It’s Carnival season in Italy in this production of Shakespeare’s classic farce, setting the scene for mistaken identities among two sets of identical twins separated at birth and the chaos that follows when they encounter each other’s friends and families. Audiences are invited to bring chairs, blankets and picnics to this free event on July 3 at Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville. montgomeryparks.org
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
This production by Synetic Theater is completely wordless. The Arlington, Virginia-based company—known for its unique style of physical performance, blending movement, dance, mime and acrobatics—tells the magical story of romantic entanglement among fairies and humans without any dialogue. Unlike the summer’s other Shakespeare performances around the county, this one requires a ticket purchase and is indoors on the main stage at Olney Theatre Center from July 17 through Aug. 10. olneytheatre.org
This appears in the July/August 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
