There’s plenty to make much ado about at Edgerton Park this summer as Elm Shakespeare Company returns with Much Ado About Nothing, running August 20 through September 6, 2026.
For more than 30 years, Elm Shakespeare Company has made Shakespeare in the Park a New Haven summer tradition. Directed by Benjamin Curns, Shakespeare’s classic comedy follows Beatrice and Benedick, two sharp-tongued rivals whose friends are determined to bring them together.
This year’s production places the story in a close-knit postwar community coming back together after a period of separation. Another romance takes a more complicated turn as rumors, misunderstandings, and questions of trust threaten a young couple on the verge of marriage. As Shakespeare puts it, “Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.”
Music, dancing, romance, and celebration set the scene, while Shakespeare’s familiar mix of wit, deception, and mistaken intentions keeps the story moving. Performances take place on the Great Lawn at Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff Street, with live music beginning at 7:30 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. Admission is free, with a $30 suggested donation, and seating is first come, first served.
Pack a picnic, bring a blanket or lawn chair, and make an evening of it. For complete visitor information, including parking, accessibility, park entrances, seating, and weather policies, visit the Elm Shakespeare site here.
Gregory Phelps as Benedick and Christina Acosta Robinson as Beatrice in Elm Shakespeare Company’s Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Isabel Chenowith.
