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Shakespeare in the Square Thank you to all who read, performed and attended our annual Shakespear-e-thon, part of Princeton's Communiversity Street Festival this year on Saturday, April 26th on the Palmer Square Green. Paul Muldoon, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, joined us reading four of Shakespeare sonnets. Princeton Rep's Shakespear-e-thon celebrates the Bard's 444th birthday -- traditionally believed to be St. George's Day, April 23rd, 1564. Looking ahead, Princeton Rep invites everyone: readers, writers, actors, poets, singers, and plain 'ole Shakespeare lovers to contribute to the 2009 celebration. Read or recite favorite selections from the Bard or your favorite contemporary poets on Shakespearean themes. If you would like to be part of the celebration by reciting a sonnet or poem, performing a song, soliloquy, or reading a passage of your choice from one of Shakespeare's plays, please contact us. We'd love to hear from groups that want to present a scene or an Elizabethan-themed musical or dance piece... Please let us know what you'd like to present by emailing PRCRepRap@aol.com or by calling 609-921-3682 and we'll confirm a time slot for you or your group. We look forward to seeing you in Palmer Square Green in Spring 2009 for Princeton Rep's annual Shakespear-e-thon! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - History of Shakespeare in the Square Princeton Rep was founded in 1984 as a not-for-profit professional theatre company. Princeton Rep has a reputation for innovative programming which includes site-specific productions, New Jersey premieres of contemporary plays and reinterpretations of the classics.The Rep is a nomadic company without a permanent stage performing in a variety of spaces. In 1995, Palmer Square Shops and Princeton Rep formed a unique business/arts partnership to produce SHAKESPEARE IN THE SQUARE. The Green at Palmer Square was our long sought after theater home - a perfect stage on which to perform Shakespeare. In keeping with our tradition of making theatre accessible to everyone, Princeton Rep decided that SHAKESPEARE IN THE SQUARE performances presented annually on Palmer Square would be completely FREE. With the bannered support of Palmer Square Shops and the people and businesses of New Jersey, Princeton Rep’s dream is becoming a reality. Each year the Festival grows in the scope of its educational offerings and the ambitiousness of its productions. We believe this Festival will take its place on America’s theater map as a nationally regarded Shakespeare Festival. 
Shakespeare in the Square - 2005
Shakespeare Festival Celebrated the Bards's 440TH birthday (Belated) with the second annual S HAKESPEAR-E-THONB.Y.O.B.---BRING YOUR OWN BARDA community romp through some of Shakespeare's favorite sonnets, soliloquies and songs. PHONE-IN CELEBRITIES INCLUDED: On Sunday, May 2nd, all Shakespeare lovers were invited to join in SHAKESPEAR-E-THON, a celebration of Shakespeare's 440th (belated) birthday, on the Green at Palmer Square presented by Princeton Rep Shakespeare Festival as Palmer Square’s annual Shakespeare In The Square presentation. Princeton Township Mayor Phyllis Marchand will kick-off the afternoon’s festivities. David Newton, Vice President of Palmer Square, emceed the event assisted by Palmer Square Director of Marketing Erin Szejner. Mr. Newton and Ms. Szejner will appeared in lavish Elizabethan garments chosen by area costume expert Marie Miller. SHAKESPEAR-E-THON, BYOB---Bring Your Own Bard Birthday Blast, was an opportunity for everyone including actors, poets, and just plain Shakespeare admirers to contribute to the afternoon’s readings of favorite selections from the Bard. Participants are welcome to recite a sonnet, perform a song, soliloquy, or read a passage of your choice from one of Shakespeare’s plays. High school and college groups are encouraged to present a Shakespeare scene. Celebrities who joined us: DAME EILEEN ATKINS, who will phone-in from her home in London, won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her work in Honour at the Cottesloe Theater in London. She previously won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in 1999 for The Unexpected Man at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her films include Cold Mountain, Gosford Park, and The Hours. Ms. Atkins has been a member of the Princeton Rep Advisory Board since 2000. Another world-class phone-in, Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress for The Fisher King, is MERCEDES RUEHL. Her other film
credits include: Big, Married to the Mob, and The Minus
Man. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in Lost in Yonkers
and she has starred in such Broadway shows as: The Goat, The
Rose Tattoo, I’m Not Rappaport, and The Shadow Box.
Ms. Ruehl previously appeared in 1991 at Princeton Rep in a
special benefit performance of Love Letters by A. R. Gurney. EUAN MORTON is best known for playing the role of Boy George, the lead singer of Culture Club, in the Broadway and West End musical Taboo a semi-autobiographical show depicting the eighties' New Romantic movement. His London performance was met with great public and critical acclaim and earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a musical. Also on the list of celebrity phone-ins was PAUL SORVINO, who garnered a Tony nomination for his role as Phil Romano in the original Broadway cast of That Championship Season. Mr. Sorvino went on to star in NBC’s Law and Order and the CBS drama That’s Life. In features, he has appeared in the acclaimed GoodFellas, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, Warren Beatty’s Bulworth, and as Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s Nixon. GALT MACDERMOT will phone-in one of his well-known songs written for Joe Papp/New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. Galt MacDermot is best known for the music he wrote for Hair, and his Tony Award-winning score for Two Gentlemen of Verona. Galt MacDermot's work spans the gamut of performing arts: musicals: Hair, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Human Comedy, ballet scores: La Novela, Salome, film scores: Cotton Comes to Harlem, Fortune and Men's Eyes, Mistress. In the summer of 2000, Galt MacDermot composed original music for the Princeton Rep Shakespeare Festival's critically acclaimed production of The Taming of the Shrew. Local celebrity confirmed to date is famed author of Jaws, The Deep and The Island, PETER BENCHLEY.In addition, thirty Princeton High School drama students will perform a scene from Richard III under the direction of Princeton H.S. Drama Director, Patricia Wray. Food and beverages were provided by Winberie’s Restaurant and a Thomas Sweet ice cream birthday cake was served when all attendees joined in a toast to Shakespeare’s 440th birthday. Venue: DIRECTIONS TO PALMER SQUARE PRINCETON From New York New Jersey Turnpike South to exit 9; follow signs for route 1 South/Princeton; continue to Washington Road (see sign for Princeton Business District); take Washington Road to Nassau Street light (Route 27); make left onto Nassau Street; continue three blocks; make right onto Palmer Square (at white gazebo.) From Philadelphia I-95 North to Route 206 North; follow approximately 5 miles to fork in the road (at traffic light) and bear right onto Nassau Street; continue three blocks; make left onto Palmer Square (at white gazebo.) From North Jersey Route 206 South to Princeton; at Nassau Street traffic light make left; continue three blocks; make left onto Palmer Square (at white gazebo.) From South Jersey New Jersey Turnpike North to exit 8; bear left onto Route 33 West; follow Route 33 through downtown Hightstown; make right onto Stockton Street; at traffic light follow Stockton Street to Route 130 traffic light; go through traffic light to Princeton-Hightstown Road (Route 571); follow to Route 1 traffic light; go through traffic light to Washington Road; take Washington Road to Nassau Street traffic light (Route 27); make left onto Nassau Street; continue three blocks; make right onto Palmer Square. Convenient by NJ Transit and Suburban Bus SHAKESPEARE IN THE SQUARE, PAST PRODUCTIONS:
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