SAN FRANCISCO - A more than 40-year tradition of free Shakespeare in San Francisco continues this weekend at Sue Bierman Park near the Embarcadero, with a modern California spin on one of the playwright’s earliest comedies.

This Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., audiences can watch free performances of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," staged by San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Actors Tyler Aguallo and Brennan Pickman-Thoon, who play lead roles, say the outdoor shows are designed to be both accessible and engaging for first-time Shakespeare viewers.

"Our director, Ely Sonny Orquiza, set Verona as a sleepy Midwestern town and Milan as the bright, bustling world of California," Pickman-Thoon said. "The story is about leaving home, chasing love and adventure, and confronting conflict in

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