Shakespeare Downtown

Shakespeare Downtown The mission of Shakespeare Downtown is to encourage an interest in classical theatre by providing free outdoor performances at Castle Clinton Theatre company

03/21/2026

thank you for the birthday wishes ❤️- and come see our play in June!

03/10/2026

Spring is coming to The Battery, Castle Clinton National Monument in the background.

02/23/2026

The Battery at night in the snowstorm.

Castle Clinton National Monument

01/19/2026

Walking through The Battery in the snow and along the bike path.

Castle Clinton National Monument

01/15/2026

Marguerite (Billie Andersson), Armand (Zack Ignoffo), and Nanine (Sanna Izmirlian ) in Shakespeare Downtown’s The Lady of the Camellias at Castle Clinton National Monument at The Battery - directed by Geoffrey Horne, set and costume design by Amy Goossens , videography by Bill Hopkins .

Happy birthday to Marie Duplessis, French courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent and wealthy men, born on January 15, 1824 (died February 3, 1847 aged 23).

Marie was the inspiration for Marguerite Gautier, the main character of the 1848 novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, one of Duplessis’s lovers.

La Dame aux Camélias is one of my favorite novels. I always thought that it could be the most wonderful play. Dumas did write a play of his novel, but he wrote it in 8 days for quick money, many of the best parts he left out. Verdi’s La traviata was based on the novel.

During the pandemic, I started writing a new adaptation of the play - leaving in all of my favorite parts of the novel and combining it with text from the libretto from La traviata (my favorite opera, particularly the Callas, Di Stefano live 1955 recording directed by Visconti). It took me 3 years to finish it. I loved playing Marguerite. The whole thing was the most rewarding experience l’ve had in the theatre.

www.shakespearedowntown.org

01/09/2026

Joan (Billie Andersson) and the Bishop of Beauvais (Mauricio Bustamante) in Shakespeare Downtown’s Saint Joan at Castle Clinton National Monument at The Battery - directed by Geoffrey Horne.

January 9, 1431 began the trial of Joan of Arc that lasted until her ex*****on on May 29, 1431.

In the spring of 1429, acting in obedience to what she said was the command of God, Joan of Arc inspired the Dauphin’s armies in a series of military victories which included the lifting of the siege of Orléans and defeat of a large English army at the Battle of Patay, reversing the course of the Hundred Years’ War. The Dauphin was crowned a few months later at Reims as Charles VII of France.

Joan was captured during the siege of Compiègne in 1430 by Burgundian forces and subsequently sold to their English allies. She was prosecuted by a pro-English ecclesiastical court at Rouen in 1431. The court found her guilty of heresy and she was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431.

The verdict was later nullified at a rehabilitation trial, which was overseen by the inquisitor general Jean Bréhal in 1456. Considered a French national heroine, Joan was declared a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920.

www.shakespearedowntown.org

01/06/2026

Joan (Billie Andersson .andersson) in Shakespeare Downtown’s Saint Joan at Castle Clinton National Monument at The Battery - directed by Geoffrey Horne.

Remembering Joan on what is believed to be her birthday, January 6, 1412 (burned at the stake May 30, 1431 aged 19).

Castle Clinton National Monument in the snow at The Battery with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.Happy New Year fr...
01/01/2026

Castle Clinton National Monument in the snow at The Battery with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Happy New Year from Shakespeare Downtown!

12/27/2025

The Battery in the snow (Castle Clinton in the distance).


View of Lower Manhattan, The Battery, and Castle Clinton National Monument, home of Shakespeare Downtown.(photo: )Please...
12/08/2025

View of Lower Manhattan, The Battery, and Castle Clinton National Monument, home of Shakespeare Downtown.
(photo: )

Please consider a year-end gift for Shakespeare Downtown’s tenth season at Castle Clinton this Giving Tuesday. You can make a donation on this page or join the campaign on Facebook. (The fundraiser can be found on Billie Andersson’s, Geoffrey Horne’s, or Shakespeare Downtown’s page - the campaign will remain open until Tuesday, December 9.)

Thank you to all our supporters for helping us create this new free classical theatre for Lower Manhattan - see you in June!

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New York, NY
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