By Patti Roberts

Verily, summer is the season for the staging of Shakespeare plays. Huzzah! July is welcoming two productions of the Bard — Sacramento Shakespeare Festival is presenting a disco version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and Cosumnes River College is doing “Twelfth Night” at Elk Grove’s Shakespeare in the Park. Then, there is Music Circus’ rendition of “West Side Story,” inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” featuring Tony and Maria as the star-crossed lovers. 

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is described by Sacramento Shakespeare Festival as Shakespeare’s most popular comedy, where “you will meet Oberon’s and Titania’s fairies looking to make mischief; four lovers chasing each other through the fairy-enchanted woods; and a rag-tag bunch of workers rehearsing in the woods. What could go wrong?” 

“It’s a roller-disco remix,” said Luther Hanson, festival director. “In this production, all the characters you know and love have been transported to the glittering, fantastic, colorful 1980s, along with some of your favorite music of the time.” 

Though the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival used to be presented in the outdoor William Land Park Amphitheater, it’s now being staged at the Art Court Theatre at Sacramento City College. 

Venue: Performing Arts Center/Art Court Theatre, Sacramento City College, 3835 Freeport Boulevard 

Dates: July 5-27 

Cost: $10-$20  

Tickets: Sacramento Shakespeare Festival 

“Twelfth Night” 

There is a Shakespeare in the park this summer: “Twelfth Night” will be staged at Elk Grove’s outdoor Laguna Town Hall  Amphitheatre each weekend through the first week of August. River Stage describes the play as, “A shipwreck, a love triangle, mistaken identity, a fool (and a whole lot of foolishness) collide in one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies and most beloved work.” 

Director Anthony D’Juan explains that the costume approach and tone is ’90s style goth/punk – “but it’s not set in that time period — it’s just the vibe of the show.” 

Venue: Laguna Town Hall  Amphitheatre, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento  

Dates: July 18-August 3 

Cost: Pay what you can 

Tickets: Twelfth Night 

“New Comedies Festival” 

To highlight and give a spotlight to rising national playwrights, B Street Theatre holds an annual national comedy playwriting contest for new, unproduced plays. After hundreds of submissions and several rounds of review by dozens of script readers, they choose the top four to produce live, staged readings.  

“The festival has launched more than 30 new plays into the American theatre landscape, with many finalists going on to receive world premieres, multi-city productions, and publication,” said Lyndsay Burch, B Street’s CEO and artistic director. The four finalists’ plays are staged on the July 10-13 weekend. 

Venue: B Street Theatre , 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento  

Dates: July 10-13  

Cost: $28-$35   

Tickets: Comedy Festival 

“West Side Story” 

The Bard shows up in New York. “‘West Side Story’ is a 20th Century ‘Romeo and Juliet’: Tony and Maria find love in a turbulent world against all odds.” as described by Broadway Music Circus.  The Leonard Bernstein score includes such memorable songs such as “I Feel Pretty,” “Maria,” “America,” and “Somewhere.” 

“Very few musicals in the Broadway classics canon remain as powerful and relevant as ‘West Side Story,’” said Broadway Sacramento President & CEO Scott Klier. “Simply, there’s no improving perfection and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce it to today’s generation of musical theatre lovers.”

Venue: UC Davis Health Pavilion, 1419 H St., Sacramento 95814 

Dates: July 11-17 

Cost: $58-$130 

Tickets: Music Circus 

“El Borracho” 

“El Borracho” tells the story of a son trying to reconnect with the father who abandoned him — and the mother caught in the middle — when illness forces them all to live under one roof. “This is a story deeply personal to so many of us, exploring how families carry pain and how love and healing can still break through,” said Richard Falcon, Teatro Nagual founder and executive director. “At a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies try to erase our voices, stories like ’El Borracho’ resonate with our community, uplifting our culture.” 

Venue: The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento  

Dates: July 5-27 

Cost: $20.50-$25.50 

Tickets: B Street Theatre 

Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka” 

This musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory” is for children and teens, presented by actors of the same age. It includes songs from the 1971 movie and features performers of El Dorado Musical Theatre from 6 years old through 8th grade. 

Venue: Harris Center at Folsom Lake College, 10 College Pkwy, Folsom 

Dates: July 5-13 

Cost: $32-$51 

Tickets: Harris Center

This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.