Shakespeare in the Park to return this summer with 'Hamlet'

Kenny Leon directs the production.

To be or not to be at the Delacorte? The Public Theater's annual Free Shakespeare in the Park program will return this summer, with performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Kicking off the season will be a production of Hamlet, which runs from June 8 to August 6 and officially opens on June 28.

Tony Award winner Kenny Leon directs the production, setting the story of Hamlet, a young prince tasked with avenging his father's murder by his uncle, in 2021. Leon previously directed Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare in the Park to acclaim in 2019, and he had two productions on Broadway in 2022: Topdog/Underdog and Ohio State Murders.

Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood will star in the title role. Last year, he starred as Orlando in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Shaina Taub's As You Like It musical.

Additional casting for Hamlet has yet to be announced.

All tickets for Shakespeare in the Park productions are free and are distributed through various in-person and digital channels.

Photo credit: Ato Blankson-Wood. (Photo by JJ Geiger)