Much Ado About Free Shakespeare

The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is caught up in final dress rehearsals of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It's the company's 12th annual "Free Shakespeare on the Common" production, which has become a beloved Boston tradition.

Every summer, up to a hundred thousand spectators have turned out for twenty free productions of Shakespeare on Boston Common. This summer though, the tradition is truncated to nine performances. The week-long run begins next Tuesday.

To chat about the change, WBUR's Bob Oakes is joined by Josiah Spaulding. He's President and CEO of the Citi Performing Arts Center, which presents this event.