2017 Free 'Shakespeare In The Park' Starts On May 23

The Delacorte Theater in Central Park

The upcoming Shakespeare in the Park season starts in just a few weeks, and Julius Caesar will begin previews on May 23. And then A Midnsummer NIght's Dream will start previews on July 11.

The Public Theater's artistic director Oskar Eustis is directing Julius Caesar, which runs through June 23. The last time the play was seen in Central Park was 17 years ago, and, in 1987, Al Pacino played Brutus:

The Public Theater describes the play, "Rome’s leader, Julius Caesar, is a force unlike any the city has seen. Magnetic, populist, irreverent, he seems bent on absolute power. A small band of patriots, devoted to the country’s democratic traditions, must decide how to oppose him. Shakespeare’s political masterpiece has never felt more contemporary."

In this production, Caesar is played by Gregg Henry and Corey Stoll will be Marcus Brutus; other cast members include Elizabeth Marvel as Anthony, John Douglas Thompson as Caius Cassius, and Robert Gilbert as Octavius.

Oskar Eustis and company members of Julius Caesar in rehearsal Julius Caesar for The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production directed by Oskar Eustis, running at Delacorte Theater in Central Park May 23 through June 18, photographed at New 42 Studios (Joan Marcus / Public Theater)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (July 11-August 13), directed by Lear deBessonet, will see Annaleigh Ashford as Helen, Phylicia Rashad (Titania), De'Adre Aziza (Hippolyta), Kyle Beltran (Lysander), Kristine Nielsen (Puck) and Danny Burstein (Nick Bottom).

All shows start at 8 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets are distributed day of the show at the Delacorte (expect lines!). There's also a digital lottery and a downtown lottery at the Public Theater's space on Lafayette Street, plus, on specific performance dates, some tickets will be distributed in locations in one of the city's five boroughs. More details here.