Heart of America Shakespeare Festival

"We attended the performance of The Tempest last night. The weather was exceptional, which is a rarely for summertime outdoor performances but the absolute star was the amazing creative direction which brought this play to life in a way I haven't seen before. The cast were particularly articulate and did a wonderful job."

"Shakespeare in the park is a 30 year must see experience in Kansas City. This year’s (2022) production of Romeo and Juliet was the best ever — a great cast, made better for its diversity. Food trucks this year were delicious and I appreciated the environmental consideration with packaging. Highly recommend!"

"We discovered HASF and Shakespeare in the Park four years ago, and haven't missed one since. We have also never been disappointed. From costumes to set design to acting, the quality of the performances is amazing. The 25th anniversary Hamlet production was particularly noteworthy. Yes, it is free and in a park (although we always pay for reserved seating), but it is a top notch production that hundreds of people have poured thousands of hours into and deserves respect. Hands down, my favorite KC summer event!"

"A family tradition since for two decades. We've spent countless evenings lying in Southmoreland Park listening to John Rensenhouse or Cinnamon Schultz or Matt Rapport deliver verse to the stars---and rapt audience. Sets tucked into the 100 year old trees and a wall as old as God, children provoked to giggles by Shakespeare's comedy... HASF is an exquisite example of how good we have it in Kansas City's theater scene. Thank you to Sidonie Garrett and the devoted humans who have kept this tradition thriving for a quarter century."

"Very un-kid friendly. For a free event, I was very disappointed to see how harshly staff scolded children for playing in the park. I was more distracted by staff angrily approaching children to yell at them than I was with the children simply play catch or tag. As a woman without children, I found the behavior of staff to be inappropriate and disproportionately harsh considering the event. It would be different if I had paid big bucks to see a show on broadway, I might've expect a little grandeur. However, I paid nothing to see a play in a public park and was continuously distracted by the unecessarly scolding of children."