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Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is the creation of executive producer Jack O’Meara and artistic director Kathryn Huey O’Meara McGill. In July and August of 1985, Oklahoma theatre patrons enjoyed a first — free Shakespeare outdoors. The crowds began in small numbers in July for Twelfth Night and grew steadily larger each weekend, reaching 500 in number each night by the end of August’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In its first Summer, OSP entertained some 6,000 citizens.

Production History

Summer 1985  • Twelfth Night  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

Winter 1985-1986  • Servant of Two Masters  • She Stoops to Conquer  • Romeo and Juliet

Summer 1986  • The Comedy of Errors  • The Taming of the Shrew

Winter 1986-1987  • David Copperfield  • Much Ado About Nothing  • The Three Musketeers

Summer 1987  • The Merry Wives of Windsor  • As You Like It

Winter 1987-1988  • The Playboy of the Western World  • David Copperfield  • The Merchant of Venice

Summer 1988  • The Tempest  • A Midsummer Night's Dream  • Macbeth

Summer 1989  • The Wild West 89er Taming of the Shrew  • Twelfth Night  • On to Oklahoma  • Much Ado About Nothing  • Romeo and Juliet

Fall 1989  • The Importance of Being Ernest

Spring 1990  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

Summer 1990  • The Comedy of Errors  • The Merchant of Venice  • Love's Labor's Lost  • Hamlet

Summer 1991  • The Merry Wives of Windsor  • Measure for Measure  • Two Gentleman of Verona  • Richard III

Summer 1992  • As You Like It  • Troilus and Cressida  • A Midsummer Night's Dream  • Henry V

Spring 1993  • Othello

Summer 1993  • Twelfth Night  • All's Well That Ends Well  • She Stoops to Conquer  • Julius Caesar

Winter 1994  • Romeo and Juliet

Summer 1994  • The Taming of the Shrew  • Antony and Cleopatra  • Cyrano de Bergerac  • The Tempest

Winter 1995  • Macbeth

Summer 1995  • Much Ado About Nothing  • The Comedy of Errors  • Wild Oats  • Macbeth

Winter 1996  • The Winter's Tale

Summer 1996  • Love's Labor's Lost  • Henry IV, Part 1  • Scapin  • The Winter's Tale

Winter 1997  • Hamlet

Summer 1997  • Two Gentleman of Verona  • The Duchess of Malfi  • As You Like It  • Hamlet

Winter 1998  • Richard III

Summer 1998  • A Midsummer Night's Dream  • The Merry Wives of Windsor  • Richard III

Winter 1999  • King Lear

Summer 1999  • Romeo and Juliet  • Twelfth Night  • King Lear

Winter 1999-2000  • A Christmas Carol  • Julius Caesar

Summer 2000  • The Tempest  • The Taming of the Shrew  • Julius Caesar

Winter 2000-2001  • A Christmas Carol  • Much Ado About Nothing

Summer 2001  • Henry V  • Pericles  • Much Ado About Nothing

Winter 2001-2002  • A Christmas Carol  • Macbeth

Summer 2002  • The Comedy of Errors  • All's Well That Ends Well  • Macbeth

Winter 2002-2003  • A Christmas Carol  • Othello

Summer 2003  • As You Like It  • The Winter's Tale  • Othello

Winter 2003-2004  • A Christmas Carol  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

Summer 2004  • Twelfth Night  • Hamlet  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

Winter 2004-2005  • A Christmas Carol  • Romeo and Juliet

Summer 2005  • The Merry Wives of Windsor  • Love's Labor's Lost  • Romeo and Juliet

Winter 2005-2006  • A Christmas Carol  • The Taming of the Shrew

Summer 2006  • Two Gentlemen of Verona  • Titus Andronicus  • The Taming of the Shrew

Winter 2006-2007  • A Christmas Carol  • The Tempest

Summer 2007  • A Midsummer Night's Dream  • Cyrano de Bergerac  • Macbeth

Winter 2007-2008  • The Grapes of Wrath  • A Christmas Carol  • A Scarlet Letter

Summer 2008  • Much Ado About Nothing  • The Three Musketeers  • Richard III

Winter 2008-2009  • Julius Caesar

Summer 2009 25th Summer Season  • As You Like It  • George Bernard Shaw's Misalliance  • Hamlet  • Twelfth Night  • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - special fund raising performance

Winter 2009-2010  • Romeo & Juliet

Summer 2010  • The Taming of the Shrew  • The Comedy of Errors  • Romeo & Juliet

Because of the Summer’s success, a “Winter’s Classics” season was planned. It began with Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters in October-November and continued through Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer in January 1986 and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in February-March 1986.

In 1986 Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park presented Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors in June and The Taming of the Shrew in July. Over 7,000 people attended the second Summer season. The “Winter’s Classics” continued in 1986-87 with Moliere’s Tartuffe in October, an original adaptation of Dickens’ David Copperfield in December, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in February and culminated in April with Dumas’ The Three Musketeers.

A record breaking 8,500 patrons attended OSP’s third Summer season which included The Merry Wives of Windsor and As You Like It. The “Winter’s Classics” for 87-88 began with Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World in September. December saw the return of OSP’s adaptation of David Copperfield. The Merchant of Venice in February climaxed the Winter season with one of Shakespeare’s acknowledged masterpieces. All of these productions were available as part of the Oklahoma Touring Program sponsored by the State Arts Council of Oklahoma.

1988 Summer season productions were The Tempest in June, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in July and Macbeth in August. Although an admission fee was charged for the first time during the Summer, over 12,000 people attended the performances.

The 1989 Summer season included The Wild West 89er Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, On to Oklahoma, Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet. A Fall production of The Importance of Being Earnest was presented in Edmond and toured throughout Oklahoma.

In 1990 we began with a Spring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Summer season productions were The Comedy of Errors (which also toured the state in the Summer and Fall), The Merchant of Venice, Love’s Labor’s Lost and Hamlet. This Summer also saw the beginning of a new amphitheatre in Edmond’s E.C. Hafer Park.

In 1991 the amphitheatre was completed with the assistance of a major grant from the Edmond Women’s Club. The 1991 season featured The Merry Wives of Windsor (the touring show), Measure for Measure, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Richard III.

The 1992 Summer season opened with As You Like It (which also toured the state), followed by Troilus and Cressida, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Henry V. The Summer season of 1993 featured Twelfth Night (the touring show), as well as All’s Well that Ends Well, She Stoops to Conquer, and Julius Caesar. A Spring 1993 production of Othello was produced at Stage Center in Oklahoma City.

January and February of 1994 saw another production at downtown OKC’s Stage Center, Romeo and Juliet. The 1994 Summer season was The Taming of the Shrew (which toured), Antony and Cleopatra, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Tempest. In Jan-Feb of 1995, Macbeth performed at Stage Center. All three of the Stage Center productions have had full audiences for the student matinees and workshops.

1995 Summer productions were Much Ado About Nothing (touring), The Comedy of Errors, Wild Oats and Macbeth. In January-February of 1996, The Winter’s Tale was performed at Stage Center. All student matinee performances were sold out, but an ice storm freed up many of the seats at the last minute. The 1996 Summer Season included Love’s Labor’s Lost, Henry IV, part 1, Scapin and The Winter’s Tale.

The Winter production at Stage Center in January-February of 1997 was Hamlet. Productions slated for the 1997 Summer Season were Two Gentlemen of Verona (touring), The Duchess of Malfi, As You Like It and Hamlet. The 1998 season began with a Winter production of Richard III and included Summer performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor and a restaging of Richard III.

In 1999 OSP produced King Lear at Stage Center as a part of the new “Stage Center Presents...” series with guest artist Greg Mullavey in the title role. Summer productions in 1999 were Romeo and Juliet (touring), Twelfth Night and King Lear. In March of 2000, the second production for “Stage Center Presents...” was Julius Caesar with guest artist Brian Lane Green as Marc Antony. Productions for the 2000 Summer Season were The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar. November - December 2000 also saw the second annual production of A Christmas Carol in Downtown Edmond. In 2001 the “Stage Center Presents…” production was Much Ado About Nothing with guest artist Richard Gilbert-Hill. The Summer of 2001 productions were Henry V, Pericles and Much Ado About Nothing.

On December 12, 2001, a fire destroyed the Hafer Park stage. Thanks to the generosity of many patrons, friends and businesses, donations totaling over $25,000 poured in and the stage was rebuilt in time for the 2003 Summer Season. Meanwhile, a third production of A Christmas Carol ran in Downtown Edmond and toured to Norman and Wewoka. At the same time, guest director Curt Tofteland from the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival rehearsed the 2002 “Stage Center Presents…” production of Macbeth. Macbeth, along with The Comedy of Errors and All's Well that Ends Well, were the summer offerings for 2002.

Again in December of 2002, A Christmas Carol was performed in downtown Edmond and toured to Weatherford, Woodward and Lindsay, Oklahoma. The Stage Center production of Othello was March 5 – 9 of 2003 and the summer season included As You Like It, The Winter's Tale and Othello. Following the December 2003 production of A Christmas Carol at Cafe Broadway in Downtown Edmond (and a tour to Ponca City), OSP produced A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Stage Center in January/February of 2004 with guest artist Mel Cobb of Shakespeare and Company as Oberon. The 2004 Twentieth Anniversary Summer Season features Twelfth Night, Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Following the December 2003 production of A Christmas Carol at Cafe Broadway in Downtown Edmond (and a tour to Ponca City), OSP produced A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Stage Center in January/February of 2004 with guest artist Mel Cobb of Shakespeare and Co. as Oberon. The 2004 Twentieth Anniversary Summer Season featured Twelfth Night, Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

December of 2004 saw the annual production of A Christmas Carol moved to Mitchell Hall at the University of Central Oklahoma. In January, 2005 OSP produced Romeo and Juliet at Stage Center in OKC. The 2005 Summer Season was The Merry Wives of Windsor, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Romeo and Juliet. Sadly, due to a second fire which destroyed the rebuilt stage in Hafer Park, the 2005 Summer Season moved to a temporary stage at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Plunkett Park. The December 2005 production of A Christmas Carol toured to Mustang, Tishomingo and Gaillardia and River Oaks Golf Clubs before running in UCO’s Mitchell Hall. The January 2006 Stage Center production was The Taming of the Shrew. Productions at Plunkett Park for the summer of 2006 were Two Gentlemen of Verona, Titus Andronicus and a repeat of Shrew. A Christmas Carol was performed at Mitchell Hall on the UCO campus from Dec. 15 to 17 with tours to Lindsay, WOSU in Altus, River Oaks Golf Club and Gaillardia Country Club. The January production at OKC’s Stage Center was The Tempest.

In December 2006 Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park made the exciting announcement that it has moved its summer performances to the Myriad Botanical Gardens Water Stage; effectively moving OSP to be part of the vibrant downtown Oklahoma City community.

In February 2007 OSP held an extremely success A SIP of Oklahoma wine tasting and art sail in the Venetian Room in the then recently remodeled Skirvin Hilton Hotel. OSP has the distinguished honor of being the first event in the Skirvin after it's opening, barring promotional soft-opening.

In the summer of 2007, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park moved the summer production season to downtown Oklahoma City’s Myriad Gardens Water Stage. The productions were A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cyrano de Bergerac and Macbeth. That November also saw a special Centennial production of The Grapes of Wrath at Stage Center. A Christmas Carol toured and performed at Pegasus Theatre on the UCO campus in Edmond, Okla. The Scarlet Letter was the winter production in January 2008, also at Stage Center.

The difficulty finding working space and technical assistance at UCO led to a new alliance, this time with Oklahoma City University. Summer rehearsals and the Young Company Theatre Camp were held on the OCU campus. Productions were Much Ado About Nothing, The Three Musketeers and Richard III, again performed in limited repertory as in 2007. A Christmas Carol was again presented, this time as a tour only. Tour locations included Sayre, Ada and Christ the King church in Oklahoma City. OSP staged Julius Caesar at Stage Center during January 2009.

Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s statement of purpose is to provide Oklahoma with quality stage productions in unique and exciting environments at a reasonable price and to develop cultural growth in Oklahoma through classical and theatrical projects. OSP benefits the area further by supplying a theatrical arts training center for the area’s young people as well as providing residencies through the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Artist-in-Residence program. OSP is a member of STAA (the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America), a Tier II member of Allied Arts and also holds memberships with the Institute of Outdoor Drama, the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, the Edmond Arts & Humanities Council, the Assembly of Community Arts Councils, the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association and Frontier Country Marketing Association.