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Performance @ Franconia

The 50-acres of Franconia Sculpture Park are the ideal setting for site-specific performances. Ranging from experimental performance art to Shakespeare to participatory theatre, Franconia is committed to supporting the commissions of new work by performing artists from the Twin Cities and across the globe.

Midsummer Night's Dream promo photo

Midsummer Performance Art Festival & Night Sky Viewing

Saturday, June 17, 5pm-12am  |  $10 parking

Franconia Sculpture Park is pleased to present Midsummer: a Summer Solstice Festival on Saturday, June 17th from 5pm-9pm, followed by a night sky viewing of a moonless, star-filled night with the Minnesota Astronomical Society at 10pm. 

Click here for more information!

Midsummer Night's Dream promo photo

Much Ado About Nothing with Classical Actors Ensemble

Thursday, June 29, 7pm  |  $5 parking

Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) announces a 9th season of Shakespeare in Our Parks with a new production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke, this comedy will be performed at Franconia Sculpture Park on Thursday, June 29th at 7pm.

Written circa 1599, Much Ado About Nothing is considered a stylistic precursor to both comedy of manners and modern romantic comedy. A Prince and his soldiers return from a civil war and bring excitement, intrigue, and passion to a rural town. Callow youths and jaded exes both have their romantic lives complicated by gossip and all is lost—before it’s won again. CAE’s production will be set in the south of France during the late 19th Century.

CAE honors Shakespeare’s work by making high-quality entertainment available for all at no charge through its annual Shakespeare in Our Parks program. CAE encourages audiences to bring a picnic to enjoy this free outdoor entertainment for the entire family. In keeping with CAE’s aesthetic, this production will include live, modern music performed by the cast.

Classical Actors Ensemble is a Twin Cities theater company that performs plays of the English Renaissance as they were originally intended: as popular entertainment for everyone. Since its founding by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke in 2009, CAE has presented 27 works by Shakespeare, Ford, Middleton, Dekker, Webster, Jonson, and Marlowe. CAE annually produces a Shakespeare in Our Schools tour to secondary schools and the free Shakespeare in Our Parks summer tour. Recent indoor productions include Othello at Elision Playhouse in autumn 2022. CAE’s goal is to demonstrate why these works of art are considered classics and to freshly prove their relevance in today’s world.

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