Shakespeare Returns to Agawam Park

Shakespeare in the Park is being presented in back-to-back evenings this weekend at in Southampton Village — and it's free.

"Othello" will be staged Friday and "Much Ado About Nothing" will be performed Saturday. Picnicking is encouraged before the shows, which begin at 7:30 p.m.

Queens-based troupe Hip To Hip Theatre Company, which returns to Southampton with free shows for the fourth straight summer, will put on both plays.

Every year, the company presents a package of Shakespeare made up of a tragedy and a comedy, said Hip To Hip founder and director Jason Marr.

Further, the chosen plays are linked by similar basic plots where the outcomes are dramatically different. Both of this year’s plays feature
military men in the early blushes of romantic love. The way these two stories unfold couldn’t be more different.

“Othello” is a classic tragedy. It portrays a “poignant story of love, insecurity and the poisonous influence of jealousy,” as Hip To Hip summarizes it. “Much Ado About Nothing” is a romantic comedy “full of eavesdropping, deception, bumbling constables and triumphant love.”

Presenting plays in this manner illustrates the prose power of Shakespeare, Marr said. Having the same cast of actors present both provides an extra dash of fun for audiences who see both, he said.

“It’s wonderful to play both,” said actor Damon Kinard. “It’s a great balance. 'Othello' is intense and 'Much Ado About Nothing' is lighthearted and silly. It’s fun to switch between the two. Because of their different styles, you really have to go with your first instinct and run with it.”

Seeing Shakespeare outdoors is a terrific way to experience the Bard’s plays, Marr said. They were written to be performed outside at the Globe Theater in England. More than that, the plays are operatic in scope, meaning they stand up to the off-stage distractions that are a naturally occurring part of performing outdoors in public spaces, he said.

“It’s the way Shakespeare was meant to be seen,” Marr said.

It’s also a dramatic way to see these staples of literature. “You see the stars in the sky as you look up at the gods, as they say,” he said. “It’s very special to see Shakespeare out of doors.”

Marr became acquainted with the Hamptons after he and his wife, Joy Marr, appeared in the Hampton Theatre Company’s production of “Leocadia” in 2007 in Quogue. The couple returned in 2008 for “Moon Over Buffalo,” which Jason Marr directed and Joy Marr appeared in.

The couple founded Hip To Hip and have various roles in the theater company. This year, Jason Marr directs both productions and Joy Marr acts in both.

Southampton is the troupe’s final stop in a month of productions, including .

“Othello” is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. and “Much Ado About Nothing” takes place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Performances are free and picnicking is encouraged.

In case of rain, “Othello” will be held at the Levitas Center for the Arts and “Much Ado About Nothing” will be staged at the Veterans Memorial Hall. Rain rain locations are in the , across the street from the park.

For more information, visit www.hiptohip.org.