Free For All Moves to
Sidney Harman Hall
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is pleased to announce that in 2009 the Free
For All will move from its previous location at Carter Barron Amphitheatre
to Sidney Harman Hall.
The move will increase the metro-accessibility of the event, prevent weather-related
cancellations, and allow the Shakespeare Theatre Company to maintain the artistic
integrity of Free For All productions thanks to the state-of-the-art capabilities
of Sidney Harman Hall. By changing venues, the Company also will be able to
host a variety of additional family-friendly events to coincide with Free For
All performances.
“The Free For All is a much loved Washington tradition,” said
Michael Kahn, artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. “Since
it was founded in 1991, more than 560,000 people have enjoyed our free performances
of Shakespeare. By moving the Free For All to downtown’s centrally located
Sidney Harman Hall, we will improve access to these performances, thanks to
our proximity to three metro lines and numerous bus lines. We also will be
able to mount Free For All productions with the same rich production values
you experience at all of our mainstage shows. And by attracting an additional
17,000 patrons to the Penn Quarter neighborhood each year, we will further
our mission to enliven downtown and support the revitalization of this exciting
area.”
In 2009, the Free For All will feature a remount of the 2007 production of
Rebecca Bayla Taichman’s The Taming of the Shrew. Performances
will run from September 5 to September 20, 2009. More than 17,000 patrons will
have a chance to see this free production of Shakespeare.
"One of the major goals of the Free For All is to make Shakespeare accessible
to diverse audiences,” Kahn explained. “Free For All attracts people
who have never been to the theatre, people who are unable to pay for tickets
or afford a babysitter, young people, students, people on fixed incomes. They
all come to experience the magic of Shakespeare, to see how his words and ideas
still resonate with us more than 400 years later. We hope that by changing
venues we will be able to expand and improve this cherished event, while continuing
to make free Shakespeare available to as wide of an audience as possible."
Friends of Free For All will still be able to receive their reserved tickets
in advance by making a tax-deductible contribution to support this important
outreach program, while subscribers will continue to have the opportunity to
reserve advance tickets to the Free For All. We also will continue to give
away day-of tickets online and in-person at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s
Box Offices. More information about
special events, volunteer opportunities and ticket distribution related to
Free For All will be announced in summer of 2009. |
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