Cleveland Shakespeare Festival Returns to James A. Garfield National Historic Site

The bard is back for another summer.

The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival will return this weekend to  for free performances of two of William Shakespeare's better known plays.

Each year, the troupe picks one of Shakespeare's comedies and one of his dramas to stage in the park. This year, they will and.

Both shows begin at 7 p.m. and will be performed on the same lawn where President James A. Garfiend once entertained reporters.

Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and seat themselves prior to each outdoor performance. And the show will go on rain or shine.

Guests are welcome to bring picnic baskets and meals but no alcoholic beverages are permitted.

There will not be a food or beverage vendor on site either night as there have been in past years, so please plan to carry in any desired food and drinks.

Parking on Saturday will be available at , located adjacent to James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

However, there will be no parking permitted in the church’s lot on Sunday. Instead, those attending the performance that night may park at the Mentor Office Park, located at 8224 Mentor Avenue, just a few blocks east of the park.

A free shuttle will transport visitors to and from the site.

"We’re very happy to welcome the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival back to the site," said Sherda Williams, the park's superintendent. "James and Lucretia Garfield loved Shakespeare, and several volumes of The Bard’s works are on the shelves in the Garfield home’s Memorial Library.

"Garfield often noted in his diary which Shakespeare plays he was reading and which characters he particularly enjoyed."

While the shows are free, guests certainly can donate to the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival if they so choose.