Romeo and Juliet kicks off the Public's Theater's 2007 Shakespeare in the Park

The Public Theater has announced that Romeo and Juliet, directed by Michael Greif, will open this summer�s Shakespeare in the Park. The play will run from 5 Jun - 8 Jul 2007, opening night to be announced at a later date.

Shakespeare in the Park is a free event organised each year by the Public Theater in which they present two of Shakespeare's plays at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. The second production is still to be announced.

This year The Public has extended the run of the two Shakespeare in the Park productions from four to five weeks.

Michael Greif is the director of Rent and Grey Gardens, both currently running on Broadway. Grief recently directed Diana Son's Satellites (2006) for the Public Theater.

Shakespeare in the Park is being sponsored this season by Bank of America.

Romeo and Juliet was last staged at the Delacorte stage in 1968, with Martin Sheen and Susan McArthur in the leads. That production was directed by Joseph Papp.