Lisa O'Donnell

A new theater company in the Triad is bringing Shakespeare to the people for free.

Modeled to some degree after Central Park's free Shakespeare productions, Piedmont Shakespeare Company will perform "Hamlet" in five Triad counties beginning June 13 in Snow Camp, south of Burlington.

A partnership of UNC School of the Arts and Elon University, the company is the fulfillment of a dream for Carl Forsman, a professor of acting and directing in UNCSA's School of Drama.

"I like to think of us as inheritors of the N.C. Shakespeare Festival," Forsman said, referring to a beloved Shakespeare company based in High Point that produced the Bard's works for 37 years before closing in 2014. "I hope we are filling a void."

The company came together more than a year ago when Kim Shivel

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