Shakespeare comedy with a 20th century twist coming to free festival in KC park
Shakespeare wrote “Love’s Labour’s Lost” more than 425 years ago, but the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival will put a 20th century twist on it from Tuesday, June 17, through Sunday, July 6, in Southmoreland Park.
The festival’s free outdoor production, an annual Kansas City tradition since 1993, will set the comedy in the 1950s. The plot involves four men who take an oath to avoid women and focus on self-improvement for three years, but things don’t go quite as planned.
Sidonie Garrett, the festival’s artistic director since 2002, will direct “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”
Here’s what you need to know about the 2025 festival.
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
What: “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” an early Shakespeare comedy from the late 16th century.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, June 17-July 6; gates open at 6 p.m.
Where: Southmoreland Park, 46th and Oak streets, west of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Cost: Free; limited upfront reserved seating (with lawn chairs provided) and blanket areas (with room for three people) are available for $25 on weeknights and $35 on weekends.
Seating: It’s first come, first served in the open seating area, which accommodates about 2,000. Spectators should bring blankets or folding chairs; plastic chairs can be rented for $10.
Refreshments: Outside food and drink are welcome, and sales will be available on site.
Weather: If conditions force a delay or cancellation, notice will be posted on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Parking: Limited spots are available on neighborhood streets. Free parking lots are located at 44th Street and Warwick Boulevard, 45th Street and Oak Street, and 48th Street and Rockhill Road, also at UMKC’s Oak Street Parking Garage. The Nelson-Atkins parking garage charges $14 cash per car, with Friends of Art free (festival parking will be unavailable June 21).
More information: kcshakes.org
