Cover story
‘Raucus’ crowd sets the stage for ‘Shakespeare in the Parks’
Plastic swords collided, a king
was stripped of his power, and
the residents of LeFrak City
bore witness to the tragedy.
To kick off its month-long series of
free “Shakespeare in the Parks” performances,
the Hip to Hip Th eatre
Company brought the tale of King
Lear to the courtyard on July 26, and
a huge crowd gathered on the turf
to participate in the fun and see the
unique open stage setup.
Th e show began with an interactive
workshop for kids age 4 to 12 in
which they were immersed in the text
by learning about the characters and
situations in the story and creating
links between the text and their own
lives. Th e children also played theatre
games and wielded their very own infl
atable swords as a gift .
Th e workshop, referred to as Kids
& the Classics, was presented as a
companion to all of Hip to Hip’s
shows in the series.
Th en the story of King Lear unfolded,
a tale in which the king decides
to divide his kingdom among his
three daughters based on their love
for him. Aft er he disowns his youngest
daughter because of a misunderstanding,
the king is then stripped of
his power, wealth and sanity by his
other two ruthless daughters.
Shakespeare pits good against evil
in classic fashion as the exiled princess
returns to overthrow her sisters
and claim the throne.
On Facebook, Hip to Hip thanked
the “large and raucus audience” at Le-
Frak City for starting its series off on
the right note.
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
14 OCTOBER 2018 | WWW.QNS.COM | LEFRAK CITY COURIER