Sydney Shakespeare Festival

Overview

Film-makers are still struggling to make a really good version of Romeo and Juliet. In the meantime, people like the Sydney Shakespeare Festival keep putting it on in real life. Lots of Shakespeare's plays were originally performed under an open sky — as many people already know if they study his work, or watch Doctor Who. It's a great way to get to know the plays. The comedy and drama thrive on the extra informality. And while indoor shows are more common these days, outdoor performances remain pretty popular both here and overseas.

The Sydney Shakespeare Festival is a more recent arrival than its sage contemporary Shakespeare by the Sea, staging its plays on the foreshore at Glebe's Bicentennial Park. The 2011 Festival alternates between A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, mixing both cast and genders between the plays as much as Romeo and Juliet mixes comedy with its tragedy, or A Midsummer Night's Dream takes in fairies with its classical myth. So if you're searching for a most rare vision, get over to Glebe and report how their Dream was.

Performances run Thursday to Sunday.