King Lear
*The event has already taken place on this date: Sat, 07/11/2026
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
ORIGINAL PRACTICE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL (OPS Fest) is back in the parks for an 18th season! Come celebrate our eighteenth year of free Shakespeare, wild audience interaction, and onstage moments that are too good to be rehearsed with OPS Fest’s company of dynamic actors out in the Portland metro area’s beautiful parks (and beyond!).
OPS Fest’s summer season kicks off on Saturday, June 20 at 9:00pm with audience favorite Midsummer Midsommer at the summit of Mt. Tabor. They then jump directly into presenting the BEST OF OPS this summer, performing their biggest hits and some underrated faves, so check in at https://opsfest.org to keep current!
About Midsummer Midsommer:
On Saturday, June 20th, OPS Fest starts their 18th season off right with the fan favorite, A Midsommer Nights Dreame at the summit of Mt. Tabor. The actors have no idea what character they will play until the AUDIENCE CASTS THE SHOW one hour prior to curtain! This is OPS Fest at its liveliest and most chaotic—there’s no better way to begin the season! Folks will delight in arriving early to the show to cast the play on-site at 8PM and watch their creation take shape at 9PM. This performance will NOT be suitable for children. Picnics and leashed dogs are welcome.
About OPS Fest’s Repertory:
OPS Fest performs its repertory over the summer at 12 different parks in the Portland metro area and beyond! OPS Fest’s company of skilled, flexible actors will perform with occasional interruptions of songs, dances, and sketches throughout. Shows are free to attend and begin at 7pm. The audience is welcome to arrive during the hour before to watch the pre-show song, dance, & fight rehearsals. Children, picnics, and leashed pups are always welcome!
Look out for Shakespeare double features! On select Saturdays, OPS Fest is holding matinee performances of abridged versions of a selection of Shakespeare’s most well-loved plays, followed by full-length performances in the evening. These matinees are free to attend (just like the full-length shows!) and begin at 2pm.
About the 2026 Season:
OPS Fest is proud to bring admission-free Shakespeare to the Portland public parks and beyond for their 18th season! This season will see a shake-up of OPS’s repertoire: the company will present a selection of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, as well as a mix of overlooked classics! Don’t miss their performance of Twelfe Night (Abridged) at Oaks Park for their Pride Rides event! They’re also touring their iconic style of performance to some non-Portland locations—throughout the summer, look out for OPS at Happy Valley Library, Lake Oswego’s Roehr Park and George Rogers Park, Beaverton’s Camille Park, Sherwood’s Veterans’ Park, and the Tillamook Library on the coast.
OPS believes that Shakespeare’s work and characters benefit from exploration by a wide array of artists from different backgrounds and experiences. In this spirit, they actively seek out artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, artists with disabilities, as well as all gender identities, ages, and expressions of humanity.
About Original Practice Shakespeare Festival:
OPS Fest brings no-cost Shakespeare to parks all over the Portland metro area. The company uses the original practice techniques of Elizabethan England: limited rehearsal, scrolls in hand, audience interaction, and an onstage prompter. Gender fluid casting is our jam!
Learn more at opsfest.org, opsfest.org/tour-calendar, and https://Facebook.com/opsfest.
Parks and Show Dates:
June:
6/20: Mt. Tabor Summit - Midsummer Midsommer at 9pm
6/27: Happy Valley Library - A Midsommer Nights Dreame Abridged at 5:30pm
6/28: Oaks Park - Twelfe Night (Abridged) at 2pm
July:
7/10: Laurelhurst Park - Henry IV Part 1 at 7pm
7/11: Laurelhurst Park - Comedie of Errors (Abridged) at 2pm, King Lear at 7pm
7/17: Irving Park - Much Adoe About Nothing at 7pm
7/18: Irving Park - Twelfe Night (Abridged) at 2pm, Romeo and Juliet at 7pm
7/24: Laurelhurst Park - Cymbeline at 7pm
7/25: Laurelhurst Park - A Midsommer Nights Dreame (Abridged) at 2pm, Twelfe Night at 7pm
7/31: Roehr Park (Lake Oswego) - Comedie of Errors at 7pm
August:
8/1: Veterans’ Park (Sherwood) - As You Like It at 7pm
8/5: Gateway Discovery Park - A Midsommer Nights Dreame (Abridged) at 11:30am
8/8: George Rogers Park (Lake Oswego) - Macbeth at 7pm
8/14: Washington Park - Julius Caesar at 7pm
8/15: Washington Park - Romeo and Juliet (Abridged) at 2pm, A Midsommer Nights Dreame at 7pm
8/19: Camille Park (Beaverton) - Comedie of Errors (Abridged) at 6:30pm
8/22: Mt. Tabor Amphitheatre - Apprentice Showcase at 2pm, Hamlet at 7pm
8/29: Tillamook Library - Loves Labour’s Lost at 2pm
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.