7 Ways To Celebrate Shakespeare in NYC

Not to discount the many deaths that William Shakespeare penned during his lifetime, but his own passing was and is, perhaps, the most legendary.

April 23, 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. And New York, never a city to shy away from celebrating Shakespeare, is going all-out to commemorate.

The New York Public Library, for example, is putting on a number of events including the exhibition "Shakespeare's Star Turn in America"; BAM is staging Richard II, Henry IV Parts I & II, and Henry V during its 2016 season; at the Public Theater, you can catch a lively (and abbreviated!) production of Romeo and Juliet, part of the "Mobile Unit" which just finished touring around the city; and the New York Historical Society will have Shakespeare's First Folio of published work on display in June.

Or if funerals are your thing, Friday in Bryant Park, starting at 6:30, there will be a jazz funeral march by the Jambalaya Brass Band followed by some of the best death scenes from Shakespeare.

But celebrating Shakespeare doesn't only mean attending a staged production or an exhibition — these seven suggestions will help you connect with the myth, the man, the legend in your own special way.

1. Sonnet Slam - April 22

If poetry slams just aren't quite nerdy enough for you, head to Central Park to witness 154 Shakespeare sonnets read aloud.

2. Bryant Park Birth and Death - April 22

Celebrate Shakespeare from cradle to tomb in the span of about eight hours at Bryant Park’s consecutive “Shakespeare Birthday Bash” and “Deaths of Shakespeare” festivities. The latter includes a jazz funeral march followed by “some of the greatest Shakespeare death scenes performed in succession.”

3. Paint & Sip Birthday Celebration - April 23

The Harlem Shakespeare festival’s Paint & Sip Birthday Celebration is the perfect way to combine your love of Shakespeare with you secret desire to embrace your inner-housewife at one of those BYOB painting classes.

4. ShakesCon - April 23

You’ve hear of ComicCon, WonderCon, BookCon and now: ShakesCon. For one day only, the mini-convention culminates in a collaborative production called 5 Ways Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, in which five theater companies each perform one act of the play in its own unique style.

5. Drunk Shakespeare - through Oct. 1

Drunk Shakespeare has become a New York hot spot, but the anniversary is an extra special reason to watch people get wasted and attempt high art.

6. Shotspeare - April 25

And if one drunken night of soliloquies isn’t enough, check out Shotspeare—a one-hour performance of self-proclaimed “reprehensible” renditions of Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth, assisted by booze.

7. Yacht Cruise - Aug. 6

If your love of Shakespeare can last until August, treat yourself to by partying all night until the next morning on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream Midnight Yacht Cruise.” Just make sure to check the dress code — this is sadly not a costume party.