The upcoming production of Twelfth Night is the latest in a long line of star-studded productions.

From Meryl Streep to James Earl Jones to Anne Hathaway: The Many Times Celebrities Starred in Shakespeare in the Park

The Public Theater is getting ready for its latest Free Shakespeare in the Park production, which has a celebrity-filled cast that includes Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Emmy winners Peter Dinklage, Sandra Oh, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. But if you’re a longtime lover of the annual New York tradition, you know that celebrities performing Shakespeare outside in Central Park is not a new thing.

In fact, the first-ever Shakespeare in the Park production at the Delacorte Theater took place in 1962: Merchant of Venice starring George C. Scott and James Earl Jones. The program, created by Joseph Papp, has since become a must-attend event for both New Yorkers and celebrities alike. For instance, a young Meryl Streep played Kate in Taming of the Shrew in 1978, and Patrick Stewart played Prospero in a 1993 production of The Tempest. In 2009, Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway played Olivia and Viola, respectively, in a Twelfth Night where Raúl Esparza played Orsino—talk about an epic love triangle. Not to mention, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer starred opposite each other in a 1989 version of Twelfth Night (who knew that play, in particular, was so beloved among celebrities?).

It hasn’t been just Shakespeare plays: Natalie Portman and Philip Seymour Hoffman acted opposite each other in The Seagull in 2001, while Denis O’Hare and Amy Adams played The Baker and his wife in Into the Woods in 2012.

And so many more. In honor of the Delacorte Theater reopening this summer after a long hiatus and renovation, look back on the many star-studded productions of Shakespeare in the Park.

close gallery 0 of Photos: Shakespeare in the Park Through the Years Photos: Shakespeare in the Park Through the Years 43 PHOTOS George C. Scott in Merchant of Venice (1962) Friedman-Abeles James Earl Jones in The Merchant of Venice James Earl Jones, Colleen Dewhurst, and Stacy Keach in Hamlet (1972) Friedman-Abeles Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd in Henry V (1976) George E. Joseph Deborah Rush and Meryl Streep in The Taming of the Shrew (1978) Next Slide Morgan Freeman and Gloria Foster in Coriolanus (1979) George Rose, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and Kevin Kline in The Pirates of Penzance Blythe Danner and Kevin Kline in Much Ado About Nothing (1988) Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Keith David and Kate Mulgrew in Titus Andronicus (1989) Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer in Twelfth Night (1989) Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Morgan Freeman and George Guidall in The Taming of the Shrew (1990) Denzel Washington in Richard III (1990) Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Christopher Walken and Raul Julia in Othello, 1991 Photo by Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Blair Underwood, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Kevin Kline in Measure for Measure (1993) Martha Swope/©The New York Public Library Patrick Stewart in The Tempest (1995) Michal Daniel Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Lea DeLaria in On the Town (1997) Michal Daniel Kristen Johnston and John Goodman in The Skin of Our Teeth Michal Daniel Jay O. Sanders and Mario Cantone in The Taming of the Shrew Natalie Portman and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Seagull (2001) Michal Daniel Jeffrey Wright in Julius Caesar Jimmy Smits, Julia Stiles, Kathryn Meisle, and Zach Braff in Twelfth Night Renée Elise Goldsberry and Norm Lewis in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2005) Michal Daniel Oscar Isaac in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2005) Michal Daniel Rosario Dawson and Oscar Isaac in The Two Gentleman of Verona (2005) Michal Daniel Liev Schreiber in Macbeth (2006) Michal Daniel Raúl Esparza and Anne Hathaway, Twelfth Night (2009) Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Mother Courage and Her Children Jonathan Groff and company of Hair (2008) Michal Daniel Audra McDonald and Anne Hathaway in Twelfth Night (2009) Joan Marcus Heather Lind and Al Pacino in Merchant of Venice (2010) Joan Marcus Denis O’Hare, Amy Adams and cast in Into the Woods, 2012 Donna Murphy, Into the Woods (2012) Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater in Cymbeline (2015) Carol Rosegg John Lithgow, Annette Bening and Christopher Innvar in King Lear (2014) Darius de Haas, Shaina Taub, and company of Public Works’ As You Like It (2017) Joan Marcus Corey Stoll and John Douglas Thompson in Julius Caesar (2017) Phylicia Rashad and Danny Burstein in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2017) Joan Marcus Grantham Coleman, Jeremie Harris, Margaret Odette, Danielle Brooks, and company of Much Ado About Nothing (2019) Joan Marcus Kate Burton, Tom Nelis, Teagle F. Bougere, and Nneka Okafor in Coriolanus (2019) Joan Marcus Pascale Armand and Susan Kelechi Watson in Merry Wives (2021) Joan Marcus Danai Gurira and Matthew August Jeffers in Richard III (2022) Joan Marcus Reneé Elise Goldsberry and the community ensemble of The Tempest (2023) Joan Marcus Ato Blankson-Wood and Solea Pfeiffer in Hamlet (2023) Joan Marcus You may also like Photos: Original Broadway Cast Members of Oh, Mary! Prepare to Say Goodbye

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For those who want to attend this summer’s production of Twelfth Night in person, tickets will be distributed in Central Park for that day’s performances, as well as at the Public Theater and designated spots across NYC’s five boroughs. There will also be a digital lottery via TodayTix. Learn more here.