August 11, 2009

Lottery opens for Shakespeare in the Park's 'Bacchae'

The Virtual Line is now open for Shakespeare in the Park’s free production of “The Bacchae” starring Jonathan Groff with a score by Philip Glass.

Previews for the Euripides tragedy starts this evening with opening night set for Aug. 24. Performances are scheduled through Aug. 30.

The production “re-imagines the classic story about what happens when a government attempts to outlaw desire,” according to the production notes from The Public Theater.

To enter the online lottery, you need to create a free account with the Public Theater and submit an entry on the day you want to see the show. You need to enter between midnight and 1 p.m., and then sign back in after 1 p.m. to see if you’ve been randomly chosen to pick up a pair of tickets at will call.

The other option is to stand in line at the box office at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park before the box office opens at 1 p.m. The last chance is to wait in the one-per-person standby line after 6:30 p.m.

This week, tickets will also be distributed from 1 p.m. in all five boroughs:

August 11 -Staten Island’s Snug Harbor
August 12 - Manhattan’s Harlem Stage/The Gatehouse
August 13 - Queens Center Mall
August 14 - Brooklyn Children’s Museum
August 15 - Lehman Stages in The Bronx

Playbill notes this is only the fourth time a Greek work has been included in the Public Theater’s popular summer lineup for Central Park. Past productions were “Electra” in 1964; “Agamemnon” in 1977; and “Medea” in 1986.

“The Bacchae” will also offer an audio-described performance on Aug. 28, a sign-language interpreted performance on Aug. 29 and an open-caption performance on Aug. 30.

Earlier: ‘Twelfth Night’ kicks off Shakespeare in the Park

August 11, 2009 8:48 AM in Broadway, Cheap Stuff, Romance, Sightsology, Upper East Side, Upper West Side

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