"The Tempest" will be directed by Kentucky Shakespeare's Crystian Wiltshire.(Matt Wallace / Provided)This spring, before Kentucky Shakespeare’s classic performances in Louisville’s Central Park, some of the theater troupe will perform one of the Bard’s plays dozens of times over six weeks.A nd 46 neighborhood parks across Kentuckiana will serve as the backdrop.Five actors will travel across central Kentucky and Southern Indiana during this year’s Shakespeare in the Parks Tour of “The Tempest.” This is Kentucky Shakespeare's largest parks tour schedule since it was founded more than a decade ago, according to organizers.“The Tempest” is one of the last plays written by William Shakespeare. It takes place on a deserted island where a duke and his daughter have lived for 16 years. The story follows the duo as the duke tries to seek revenge on those who banished him to the island.Producing artistic director Matt Wallace said the comedy is “quite fun to behold.”“What ensues is a testament to the redeeming power of love and forgiveness,” he said. “We have spirits and fools and monsters, a shipwreck, magical spells, and it's all just under 80 minutes with five actors.”The actors started rehearsing in February. Their first audiences were at local public high schools where “The Tempest” is taught as part of the curriculum, Wallace said. The schools tour is separate from the one in the parks.During those performances, Wallace said, the actors had to adapt to their stage, whether it was a room in the school library, the gymnasium or a classroom.This spring, each park will become the set and stage.“Sometimes we're on the grass, sometimes we're on a stage, sometimes we're literally playing off the trees in the park,” Wallace said. “Sometimes we're in a massive park like the Parklands, and sometimes we're in smaller city parks where folks are watching from their front porch.”When the tour ends in May, the company will have performed “The Tempest” 70 times this season.The Shakespeare in the Parks tour began in 2014 with only nine performances, and Wallace said the free performances have garnered more support over the years from Kentuckiana residents and city leaders.Twenty-three Louisville Metro Council members will sponsor Shakespeare in the Parks performances in their districts, according to Wallace and a council representative.“We're also using it as outreach to bring accessible Shakespeare in the neighborhoods, and for folks to see how fun and relevant and engaging it can be,” Wallace said.The tour runs from April 10 to May 24. The first performance will be at Story Avenue park at 6:30 p.m.Participants are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or a blanket.“It's the people this time of year when the snow is melted and things are in bloom and we're finally all getting out back in the park again in this increasingly isolated society we live in,” Wallace said. “It always feels like a homecoming, coming back together in the parks.”Wallace said Shakespeare in the Parks serves as a “teaser” for Kentucky Shakespeare’s summer season, which begins May 27 with the comedy “As You Like It.” ...read more read less