It will be raucous comedy – The Merry Wives of Windsor - and teenage tragedy – Romeo and Juliet - for Cincinnati Shakespeare’s free Shakespeare in the Park local tour from July 14 to Sept. 4.

The shows feature small casts of young actors and are edited to two hours, a ‘pre-tour’ of the academic year when the shows go to area schools and community centers. For the first time, the troupe takes the plays on the road to Kentucky Shakespeare in Louisville.

Here’s the schedule for Northern Kentucky and Downtown Cincinnati, listed by play. Performances at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Bring our blankets or lawn chairs and picnics are generally welcome – but you’ll want to double-check. For questions regarding a specific location's policies on outside food and drink, or with other questions, please contact venue directly.

For the entire schedule, click here.

The Merry Wives of Windsor. Scoundrel, drunkard, cad and coward Sir John Falstaff was given his own play at the request of Elizabeth I. Sir John Falstaff tries to remedy his financial woes by chasing two happily married women – using the same scam at the same time.

It’s not long before these witty wives sniff out his scheme, turning the tables on their would-be wooer and illustrating emphatically that “wives may be merry and yet honest, too.”

July 14, Seasongood Pavilion, Eden Park, Mt. Adams

July 16, Washington Park, 1230 Elm St. (across from Music Hall), Over-the-Rhine

July 20, Linden Grove Cemetery, 1421 Holman Ave., Covington. Presented by Center for Great Neighborhoods

July 27, presented by City of Maysville, Maysville Amphitheatre, 218 E. 3rd St. Maysville. Presented by City of Maysville

Aug. 1, Schmidlapp Event Lawn, Smale Riverfront Park, The Banks

Aug. 24, Flagship Park, Deerchase Drive, Erlanger, Presented by City of Erlanger

Romeo and Juliet. A comedy until it’s a tragedy, Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight at a masquerade ball – discovering too late that they are part of feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets. The young, star-crossed lovers risk all for their love.



Aug. 10, Boone Woods Park, 6000 Veterans Way, Burlington. Presented by Boone County Parks and Rec

Aug. 22, Presidents Park, 283 Dudley Rd., Edgewood. Presented by the City of Edgewood

-Jackie Demaline, RCN Arts