At Castle Clinton, Shakespeare Downtown Is Ditching The Bard And Embracing Chekhov

At Castle Clinton, Shakespeare Downtown Is Ditching The Bard And Embracing Chekhov

June 9, 2021

Like Anton Chekov’s famous gun, here’s a piece of arts information you’re going to see now and use later on: Shakespeare Downtown — the company that tries to recreate the feeling of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in Lower Manhattan — is stepping away from the bard and embracing the master Russian playwright. The troupe will be putting on a free production of Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters” at its home venue, Castle Clinton in Battery Park this month.  

The production will run from June 17–27, Thursdays through Sundays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Every day, the 200 free tickets will be available the day of the performance: just show up at the castle at 5:45 p.m.

“The Three Sisters” is Chekhov’s 1901 play about the Prozorov sisters who yearn for the excitement of Moscow. Castle Clinton is a fortification in the Battery dating back to the War of 1812, which provides a setting for the open-air, in-the-round performances put on by Shakespeare Downtown. 

photo: Shakespeare Downtown