Go Outside & Play: Outdoor Theatre This Summer

Chase D. Anderson June 2, 2022August 30, 2022 NWTheatre Bingo

Whether or not you’re playing NWTheatre Bingo (and we hope you will!), find all sorts of outdoor summer show listings below — great for filling those outdoor performance squares on the bingo card or simply for enjoying the time outdoors. Listings will be updated throughout the summer; last updated 6/16/2022.

To get the full bingo card, click here.

To view full lineup of outdoor shows in calendar form, click here.

Outdoor Shows

Now thru June 19
Kitsap Forest Theatre – Beauty and the Beast
Whisk off into the woods for family-oriented shows at this forest theatre in Bremerton.
Ticketed event. Info and schedule here.

June 17-19
Brownbox Productions – The Negro Passion Play
Update 6/14: This event has been moved indoors, and shortened to 3-hour runtime, performing June 17-18 only.
Inspired by the book of Matthew and set in America’s civil rights movement, this new work by Kathya Alexander includes a cast of 50 and an runtime just shy of 4 hours. Performs in the Epiphany Parish courtyard (in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood) over the weekend of Juneteenth.
Ticketed event. Info and schedule here.

~~June 24-25~~
The Shattered Glass Project – TBD (to be devised): A Celebration
Update 6/24: This event has been postponed to a later date.
A family-friendly, completely original play created from the brains, hearts, and lives of the performers in front of you, performs at Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park Amphitheatre in the Central District.
Free event. Info and schedule here.

July 9
Dacha Theatre – Star Play
This original musical for young audiences will perform at the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival, along with touring to various locations (dates and locations TBA).
Show info TBA, company info here.

July 9-10
Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival
Two days, three stages, and 10 theatre companies conspire in this annual festival, organized by GreenStage and performed at Volunteer Park.
Free event. Info and schedule here.

July 7 – August 7
Seattle Shakespeare, Wooden O – A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cymbeline
The company’s long-running park series performs most often on Mercer Island, but heads as far south as Tacoma and north to Everett.
Free event. Info & schedule here.

July 8 – August 6
GreenStage – Backyard Bard: Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth
This established seasonal theatre company presents its stripped-down version of Shakespeare, in one-hour performances by a small ensemble of versatile actors, at parks throughout Seattle.
Free event. Info here.

July 8 – August 6
GreenStage – Shakespeare in the Park: Pericles, Prince of Tyre and Henry V
This established seasonal theatre company presents its mainstage series at various parks throughout the region (including Seattle, Burien, Lynnwood, and Fall City).
Free event. Pericles info & schedule here; Henry V info & schedule here.

July 9-30
14/48 Projects – Mega Hero Rangers Go Go Go Supreme!!! (parks show)
A new family-friendly work by Andy Park-Buffelen will perform in various parks around Seattle, on weekends throughout July.
Free event. Info and schedule here.

July 10 – August 7
Last Leaf Productions – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (theatre in the park)
This Shakespearean comedy performs in Seattle and regions north and east (Monroe, Arlington, Bellevue, Woodinville, and Lake Stevens).
Info and schedule here.

July 15 – August 7
Dacha Theatre – (F)unfair
This immersive and interactive carnival invites audience members to determine what systems are broken and change the rules. Presented with the Boston-based Playable Theatre Project, and performed at Billings Middle School in North Seattle.
Ticketed event. Info here.

July 22-31
Vashon Repertory Theater – 5-Minute Wonders
Short-form physical theatre, dance, music, and more, curated by UMO Ensemble members, will perform at the Open Space Meadow as part of Vashon’s Theatre Fest.
Ticketed event. Info and schedule here.

July 30-31
Penguin Productions – 12th Night
Held at Green Lake, this youth-performed production of Shakespeare’s comedy “will explicitly take on gender fluidity and queerness in a contemporary setting, while staying true to the power and beauty” of the original text.
Info and schedule here.

July 29 – August 21
Burien Actors Theatre – The Play’s the Thing (theatre in the park)
This comedic play-within-a-play, adapted by P.G. Wodehouse from a Hungarian play by Ferenc Molnár, will perform at parks around south King County.
Info and schedule here.

July 30 – August 21
Kitsap Forest Theatre – Bend in the Road: The Anne of Green Gables Musical
Whisk off into the woods for family-oriented shows at this forest theatre in Bremerton.
Ticketed event. Info and schedule here.

August 19-20
14/48 Projects – The World’s Quickest Theater Festival (outdoor edition)
The company’s flagship event will perform at a Seattle park (TBA) late in the summer.
Info here.

August 26-27
Penguin Productions – Finding Trails
Short plays by local playwrights, written about and performed in parks in South Seattle and West Seattle.
Info here.

Aberdeen Shakespearean Theater – no date or location information yet, but their website indicates this summer’s show is Romeo and Juliet “with a local twist,” performed in the park and at events in Grays Harbor County. If you’d like to make it a daytrip to the ocean with a side of Shakespeare in the park, this is a way to do it.
Info here.

Alternate Categories

Two of the NWT Bingo categories (#7 and #21) are dedicated specifically to catching an outdoor performance. But if you’re a big fan of seeing theatre outdoors, why stop there? Here are some recommendations for other squares you might pick up while you’re watching performances in the sunshine or under the trees. (And honestly you could probably do almost the entire card in outdoor performances if you really wanted to.)

#1: Theatre company and venue you’ve never visited: With all the park locations in various parts of town, finding a venue you’ve never been to shouldn’t be hard. From the list, pick one that’s from a company you haven’t seen yet, either.

#11: Reminds you of childhood: If the park was one you used to visit as a kid, or reminds you of one you did, or the experience of outdoor theatre itself does, this might be the category for you.

#12: Locally based playwright: Outdoor shows and festivals often center new works from local playwrights. When they’re not Shakespeare fests, that is.

#14: Comedy: These are never hard to come by for outdoor performances, especially since so many of the Shakespeare choices for plays in the park are the bard’s comedies.

#17: Adults playing kid characters, or kids playing grown-up characters: Park shows are often family-oriented, which makes it a pretty decent chance you’ll be able to find one with child characters and grown-ups in the roles. They’re also popular for youth theatre companies, meaning you’re apt to find one with youngsters playing grown-up characters, too.

#20: Shakespeare: You may have noticed, but outdoor theatre generally does a lot of Shakespeare. If you’d prefer to watch your Shakespeare outdoors rather than in, this should be an easy one to pick up.

#23 & 24: Festivals: Whether shorts or long-form, summer festivals often occur outdoors.