June 25-August 9

If you plan to attend the Illinois Shakespeare Festival — and c’mon, why wouldn’t you? — you might as well block out at least a day, if not an entire weekend. You could see Richard III one night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream the next, and then Scapin, an adaption of the 325-year-old Moliere farce Les Fourberies de Scapin — described as “a crazy, wacky, foolish slapstick comedy” — the next. Arrive early and enjoy a free 15-minute “green show” of combat or comedy on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; or live jazz provided by Glenn Wilson and his Jazzmaniacs on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Or pay $5 extra and take a 50minute guided tour of the theater’s backstage passageways, or a design tour, revealing how the production comes to life in the costume and set shops.

On a few Tuesdays, you can also stay late and enjoy a conversation with the cast and crew plus an ice cream social. What about food? You don’t even have to pack a picnic. You can order your own picnic basket ahead of time from Destihl Restaurant, or choose from a selection of gourmet wraps.

But that’s not all. You could spend a day or two wandering the festival grounds, aka Ewing Cultural Center, built around the 90year-old Ewing Manor. The 6.5-acre site includes a Jens Jensen garden installed in 1927, the Moriyama Japanese garden, installed in 1986, and a collection of neighborhood gardens known as the Genevieve Green Gardens, installed in 2007. Tickets for the plays range from $20 to $40 for adults, $16 to $36 for students and senior citizens, and are available through Ticketmaster, or by calling 309-438-2535 days, 309-828-9814 on performance nights.

Season passes cost $60 to $108 for adults, $48 to $96 for students and senior citizens. The theater is located at 48 Sunset Road, Bloomington. For more information, visit www.thefestival.org.

— Dusty Rhodes