Under the evening sky, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will present two plays in Park County this week. 

The first performance, “Cymbeline,” begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Canal Park, 1444 Alger Ave. in Cody (below the rec center). 

The Powell performance will be “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, at Washington Park, 351 W. Second St.

Sponsored by the Park County Arts Council, both performances are free.

“After enduring a year of uncertainty, we are so thrilled to be looking towards our 2021 season where we’ll be able to once again engage our amazing communities with live free professional theatre,” said Kevin Asselin, executive artistic director.  

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (MSIP) will travel over 7,000 miles throughout this season, performing in 61 communities in five states — Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho and Washington. All performances are offered free to audiences in local parks and public spaces, making them accessible to all.

“Our greatest passion at MSIP is the opportunity that we’ve had for 49 years to bring families and neighbors together to share a picnic and enjoy the splendor of Shakespeare’s world, a world that is so relevant to our own,” Asselin said.

“Cymbeline” is one of Shakespeare’s later works. Although listed as a tragedy, modern  critics refer to it as a romance or even comedy. It is the story of King Cymbeline of Britain, who banishes his daughter Innogen’s husband, Posthumus Leonatus, who then makes a bet on Innogen’s fidelity. Innogen is accused of being unfaithful, runs away, and becomes a page for the Roman army as it invades Britain. In the end, Innogen clears her name, discovers her long-lost brothers and reunites with her husband while Cymbeline makes peace with Rome. 

One of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict between four Athenians who run away to  the forest. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by  fairies who manipulate the humans and are engaged in their own domestic intrigue.  

These free performances are made possible through a generous grant from the Wyoming Arts Council funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature and from donations from people like you.

For more information, go to www.ShakespeareInTheParks.org.