England's original Globe Theatre was an open-air venue -- in fact, you might call it the first summer Shakespeare festival. Plenty have followed. California's alfresco theater companies are warming up now to provide midsummer night dreams and sun-dappled matinees. Here are a few tips for enjoying some out-of-town shows.
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Festival
Old Globe Theatre's Summer Shakespeare Festival
Balboa Park, San Diego, June 18-Oct. 1, www.oldglobe.org
Seeing - Three shows in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre (plus two non-Shakespeare shows inside next door). The Old Globe complex is in Balboa Park, near the center of San Diego. The disadvantage: noise from the airport and, sometimes, the zoo.
Eating - The atmospheric and stage-close El Prado has a creative menu. I also liked Region, near the park's northwestern corner. Ticasso, a a few blocks west of the park, is good for a pre-show Mexican dinner. Afterward, try Extraordinary Desserts.
Sleeping - In the Bankers Hill district, walkably west of Balboa Park, the Keating House is a better deal than the closer Britt Scripps Inn. A bit north, the Park Manor Suites offers huge rooms on the edge of the park and continental breakfast.
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Festival
PCPA Theaterfest
420 2nd St., Solvang, June 6-Oct 8, www.pcpa.org
Seeing - Alfresco branch of Santa Maria's Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts does mostly non-Bard shows. Professional enough despite the number of students in the cast. The big question: Do you like Solvang's Danish kitsch?
Eating - Cafe Angelica, a five-minute walk from the theater, has passable fare. Nearby, Paula's Pancake House sells hearty breakfasts. Of course, the attractions of the Santa Ynez wine country are only a few miles away.
Sleeping - I was less than charmed by a bland road-facing room at the Royal Copenhagen Inn. Consider too the lodgings away from the main drag, such as the Solvang Gardens Lodge or the Storybook Inn B&B.
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Festival
Shakespeare Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz campus, July 19-Sept. 3, shakespearesantacruz.org
Seeing - Redwoods encircle the enchanting Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen. Another distinction are the matinees, thanks to the ocean-moderated climate and the redwoods providing intermittent shade.
Eating - O'mei looks like zilch from the street but offers astonishing variations on Chinese cuisine. Downtown is the pricier but impeccable Oswald. Up Route 9, among the redwoods, is the airy Sicilian restaurant La Bruschetta.
