The roots of outdoor theater may lie in ancient Greece, but its fusion of entertainment and the great outdoors continues to take root this summer…
The roots of outdoor theater may lie in ancient Greece, but its fusion of entertainment and the great outdoors continues to take root this summer with Geauga Park District’s “Nights Out in the Parks.”
“This marks the second year we’ve packaged our outdoor arts series together as ‘Nights Out in the Parks’ and so far so good,” said Sandy Ward, park district communications specialist. “Last year’s amphitheater shows drew more people and the return of movie nights after more than a decade has been extremely well received. People love free movies, popcorn and lemonade in the parks.”
Two movie nights and two live musical entertainment productions continue to highlight the district’s free July and August “Nights Out in the Parks” programs.
“There is absolutely nothing like relaxing on a summer evening in the beauty of nature listening to live music,” said Teresa Runion, park district special events coordinator. “We are very fortunate to have the outdoor venue of the Frances Hall Amphitheater, as well as an indoor location of the Donald W. Meyer Center, which is utilized in the event of inclement weather.”
Upcoming offerings include movies “Field of Dreams” and episodes of Ken Burns’ “National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” and musical productions from Cleveland Opera Theater and the blending of world music, folk music and “sacred-harp singing” with Uzizi.
“‘Field of Dreams’ will be shown in a real field (mowed) with a baseball backstop nearby and should be preceded by some pre-movie baseball-themed activities, and the National Parks movie night will feature an ice cream truck delivering free ice cream,” Ward added.
“We chose ‘Field of Dreams’ because it’s a classic,” said Holly Saunder, park district outreach coordinator. “It’s set nearly entirely outdoors, so it seemed like a great fit for one of our outdoor movie nights. We’ll be showing ‘Field of Dreams’ in the Big Creek park activity field. We have backstops in three parks Big Creek Park, Chickagami Park and Swine Creek Reservation.”
The 1989 blockbuster baseball film starring Kevin Costner tells the tale of an Iowa corn farmer who, upon hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields.
Then on the heels of a special milestone for The National Park Service, August’s final Movie Night Out is again fitting for the occasion and setting.
“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” is a six-episode documentary series filmed over the course of more than six years from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska.
“The National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary in August, just days after our movie night,” Saunder said. “So we thought it would be fun to host a birthday party for them.”
She added, “Rangers from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which oversees the local national historic sites as well, such as Garfield House in Mentor, will be joining us before the movie and will be bringing activities for the visitors.”
John Muir, “Father of our National Parks,” portrayed by the Chief Naturalist John Kolar, will greet guests followed by free ice-cream from East Coast Original Custard before the show.
Family-friendly events continue with a live operatic performance from Cleveland Opera Theater.
“Join performing artists from Cleveland Opera Theater for an evening of beautiful opera music surrounded by the magnificence of nature,” Runion said.”The Cleveland Opera Theater show is the very first opera concert hosted by Geauga Park District.”
Cleveland-area band Uzizi, a group led by Cleveland Heights’ Craig Matis, features five musicians highlighted by a cappella singing said to be known as “ethnic rock,”?which will conclude the August “Nights Out” performances in the parks.
“The Uzizi show is also a first-time performance featuring unique world beat music,” Runion said. “Both shows offer a fantastic opportunity to get outside and enjoy something new.”
Night Out in the Parks participants do not need to register and are encouraged to just show up for the fun.
