A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most widely performed and recognizable works. For Chicago theater director Beth Wolf, A Midsummer Night’s Dream holds a special significance: It’s the play that jump started her life-long love of Shakespeare and made her want to confront some of his more antiquated tropes. This summer, for her theater company’s 10th anniversary, Wolf fittingly takes up the play once again. Wolf advocates for the actors and characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream to have more ownership of the work, especially when the world of the play might feel so far removed from contemporary audiences. “Shakespeare’s not alive to come after us to for changing his words. And so if we have to change a word, we will.” For Wolf, some of these dialogues center on giving “the female characters more agency, as well and take into consideration who we’ve cast, how they are treated, not just for their gender identity, but their race or their ethnicity.” Free productions will run through Aug. 21 touching down in five Chicago parks — Lake Meadows Park, Lincoln Park, Touhy Park, Gross Park and Chicago Women’s Park & Gardens. Tap the link in bio for the full story. Photo: Steven Townshend / Distant Era. Pictured: Ebby Offord (Puck) and Joshua Pennington (Oberon) @midsommer.flight