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Shakespeare On the Green Caters To Families

Shakespeare On The Green returns to Omaha's Elmwood Park starting Thursday evening. Julius Caesar kicks off a nearly three-week run for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival.

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Reporter: Jodi Baker

Shakespeare On the Green Caters To Families

Shakespeare On The Green returns to Omaha's Elmwood Park starting Thursday evening. Julius Caesar kicks off a nearly three-week run for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival.

The free performances begin with Julius Caesar, at 8 p.m. Thursday in the park area just south of the UNO library. Parking is available throughout the campus.

An area for children or simply those young at heart will be set up to the northwest of the stage. Called, "Shakesperience," it will feature costumes for dress-up, coloring pages, sonnet-writing and scavenger hunts with prizes.

The idea, said Sarah Carlson-Brown, artistic director in charge of education, is to entertain while educating attendees on the works of William Shakespeare. "This year we have a page with Julius Caesar and you can mark out all of the wounds that he receives in the show."

She said the activities give children more reason to pay attention to the performance and they help give parents a break so they, too, can focus on the show.

"I think that's a fantastic idea, yes, fantastic," said mother and grandmother Jeanne Taylor of Omaha.

"The more activities where parents and children can come together and have fun, the better," said mother Michaela Grube of Omaha. "Have some time out in a way, that's what we're looking for."

It's the way parents and others can still relate to Shakespeare after 500 years that's helped his works to stand the test of time, said Alan Klem, artistic director for Nebraska Shakespeare. "Parents had communication problems with teenage daughters and sons. They got stomachaches when they ate the wrong food."

Shakespearean consequences may have been more severe, but the concepts are easy to understand. "Shakespeare was able to put the messages of those things into such beautiful language," said Klem. "That is universal and it will exist forever."

Visit www.NebraskaShakespeare.com for more information on this year's productions as well as summer day camp opportunities. Camp for children ages eight to 18 begins Monday. They still had room available in all age groups as of Thursday.