This summer offers not one, not two, but three different free alfresco NYC productions of Shakespeare's As You Like It, in which love-struck nobles romp around the Forest of Arden. This more, more, more situation raises that timeless disco question: How do you like it? The Drilling Company's version is the 31st season of the Lower East Side institution Shakespeare in the Parking Lot; directed and designed by the troupe's own Hamilton Clancy, it envisions Arden as a modern bohemian neighborhood. (Seats are provided for the first audience members to claim them, but spectators can also bring their own.)
Broadway and Off Broadway productions get most of the attention, but to get a true sense of the range and diversity of New York theater, you need to look to the smaller productions collectively known as Off-Off Broadway. There are more than dozens of Off-Off Broadway spaces in New York, mostly with fewer than 99 seats. Experimental plays thrive in New York's best Off-Off Broadway venues; that's where you'll find many of the city's most challenging and original works. But Off-Off is more than just the weird stuff: It also includes everything from original dramas to revivals of rarely seen classics, and it's a good place to get early looks at rising talents. What's more, it tends to be affordable; while cheap Broadway tickets can be hard to find, most Off-Off Broadway shows are in the $15–$35 range. Here are some of the current shows that hold the most promise.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Off Broadway shows in NYC
