“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for Shakespeare in the Arb in 2015. Image credit: Scott Soderberg, courtesy Michigan PhotographyEVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATES: 6:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12, 16-19, 23-26, 2016

EVENT: The 16th season of Shakespeare in the Arb presents weekly performances of “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”

Directed by Kate Mendeloff of the University of Michigan Residential College and performed by students and local actors, the al fresco production draws thousands of Shakespeare fans each June to the U-M’s Nichols Arboretum. This summer tradition is a moveable feast of theater that travels through the Arb—literally. As the scenes change, performers and audience move to various locations in Nichols Arboretum, using the natural landscape as a backdrop to the production.

It’s been 10 years since Mendeloff took up “Love’s Labour’s Lost” and fell in love with it during rehearsal.

“I chose ‘Love’ initially because I thought it would work well in the Arb,” she said. “Ten years on, I wanted to revisit this lesser-known gem and rediscover it with a new group of actors and a new creative team.”

The natural setting creates the special experience of Shakespeare in the Arb. There is no fixed stage; instead, Mendeloff leads audience and actors through different Arboretum locations, taking advantage of its vistas, valleys and other natural features.

PLACE: Nichols Arboretum, 1610 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor

INFORMATION: Tickets go on sale at 5:30 p.m. the day of each performance. Visit the Matthaei Botanical Garden website for more information: myumi.ch/aAXAe or call 734-647-7600.

SPONSORS: U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum and U-M Residential College