Montana Shakespeare in the Parks 40th Anniversary headed by Artistic Director Joel Jahnke presents two of Shakespeare's most popular plays, Hamlet and Twelfth Night.

The summer season begins Wednesday, June 20th, 2012 with eight initial performances in Bozeman at 8 p.m. behind the MSU Duck Pond. The troop hits the road on July 2nd with 75 performances in 59 communities prior to its conclusion on September 9th, 2012.

One of the summer's most anticipated events all across the region, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks brings professional productions at no cost to the public to communities throughout Montana, northern Wyoming, eastern Idaho, western North Dakota and, eastern Washington. Remarkably self-sufficient, the company features 10 professional actors selected by national audition who tour without technical assistance to bring live theatre to communities primarily in rural areas. This summer, with new communities including Columbus, Whitehall and two days in Butte, the anticipated audience of over 30,000 will be treated to two wonderful performances that encompass the broad perspective of Shakespeare's genius as a playwright.

Beginning the 40th season will be Hamlet which is almost universally hailed as the greatest play ever written in the English language; Shakespeare's action packed tragedy begins with a restless ghost, a dispossessed prince and a hasty royal wedding. Hamlet, the prince who has come home to a ghost father and a re-married mother, struggles to enact his revenge, going a bit mad in the process. Much mayhem and rich language ensues while Hamlet contemplates his place in the universe, his deep love for his doomed mistress Ophelia, and his duty to revenge his murdered King. Artistic Director, Joel Jahnke, says about the place he will be setting the play, "So I want to create a Denmark that is royal, classy and also full of decadence, a Denmark in the late twenties where all these beautiful people must tragically die. It's a beautiful Denmark but unfortunately, it's rotten."

In juxtaposition to this tragedy, Associate Artistic Director, William Brown has chosen to direct Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's delightful comedy of wild infatuation and mistaken identities. Shipwrecked on the rocky coast of Illyria, the beautiful and daring Viola disguises herself as a man to protect her honor in this strange land, and finds employment as a page in the court of the lovesick Duke Orsino. Meanwhile, the servant Maria and the drunken Sir Toby Belch conspire to enact a riotous revenge on the hilariously pompous servant Malvolio. Filled with Shakespeare's most memorable comedic characters and sweet romantic longings, this magical comedy will be patterned after Pirates of the Caribbean…the ride. "I feel Illyria must be a dangerous place or why else would Viola feel the need to disguise herself as a man? " says director, William Brown. "It must be a beautiful place and it must be a place where ships are wrecked and sailors rule and people begin again. Sounds like pirates to me!"

For more information on the plays and a complete tour schedule visit the company's newly designed website at www.shakespeareintheparks.org.