Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
Encyclopedia
'Kentucky Shakespeare', commonly called Shakespeare in the Park
, is a cultural event
which features free Shakespeare performances every summer in Central Park
in Old Louisville
(in Louisville, Kentucky
). Begun as the Carriage House Players in 1949, it is the oldest free professional and independently-operating Shakespeare festival in the United States
. Between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors watch the festival's Shakespeare performances each summer. The festival has never charged admission because, as their website proclaims, "we stand by our firm belief that art is for everyone—rich, poor, educated, illiterate, healthy or disabled".
During the fall, winter, and spring, the festival tours schools, assists teacher
s in teaching Shakespeare, and sets up performances by and for inmates of Kentucky's prison
s.
Shakespeare in the Park
Shakespeare in the Park is a concept used across the world, as a form of free public presentation of William Shakespeare's works. Such performances exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America....
, is a cultural event
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
which features free Shakespeare performances every summer in Central Park
Central Park, Louisville
Central Park is a municipal park maintained by the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Located in the Old Louisville neighborhood, it was first developed for public use in the 1870s and referred to as "DuPont Square" since it was at that time part of the Du Pont family estate.During the Southern...
in Old Louisville
Old Louisville
Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architecture...
(in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
). Begun as the Carriage House Players in 1949, it is the oldest free professional and independently-operating Shakespeare festival in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors watch the festival's Shakespeare performances each summer. The festival has never charged admission because, as their website proclaims, "we stand by our firm belief that art is for everyone—rich, poor, educated, illiterate, healthy or disabled".
During the fall, winter, and spring, the festival tours schools, assists teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s in teaching Shakespeare, and sets up performances by and for inmates of Kentucky's prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s.