Original Practice Shakespeare Festival presents “The Tragedie of Hamlet”

Original Practice Shakespeare Festival offers a free presentation of “The Tragedie of Hamlet” at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at Irving Park, 707 N.E. Fremont St., Portland. The company uses the original practice techniques of Elizabethan England: limited rehearsal, scrolls in hand, audience interaction, and an onstage prompter. Gender-fluid casting (just like in Ye Olde Shakespearean Days) is the norm.

To sum up the plot: Mix together one dead father (now a ghost), a mother that quickly marries your murderous uncle, a complicated love life, two sycophantic childhood chums, a company of actors, a duel, poison, murder, madness, and the skull of a dead clown. Add pirates. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

The Original Practice Shakespeare Festival performs all 25 plays in its repertory over the summer at 11 different Portland parks, with no admission fee. The company of skilled, flexible actors will perform with occasional interruptions of songs, dances and sketches. Shows usually begin at 7 p.m. and the audience is welcome to arrive during the hour before to watch dance and fight rehearsals. Children and leashed dogs are welcome. Picnic meals are encouraged. To see the complete summer schedule, visit www.opsfest.org.