Frequently Asked Questions
About Chesapeake Shakespeare Company In the Ruins:

When are performances?  Weekends, June 6 – July 13.  Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 5 pm with a special performance of Comedy of Errors on Thursday, July 10 and a double header on Saturday, June 28th. On Friday, July 4, The Comedy of Errors will begin at 5pm. Gates open 90 minutes before show time.  Click HERE to see the performance schedule.

How much are tickets?
            Adults:  $25
            Seniors over 65:  $22
            Students under 22:  $15
            Kids under 18:  FREE

How do I buy tickets?  Just click HERE to pick your performance and purchase your tickets.  Or you can call our friends at TheaterMania at 866.811.4111 and purchase tickets over the phone. 

Are kids really FREE?  Thanks to our generous friends at Pitney Bowes Software, ALL CHILDREN UNDER 18 ARE ADMITTED FREE TO ANY PERFORMANCE.  For everyone’s comfort, there must be at least one paying adult for every two children (if you’ve got a third kid and only one paying adult, buy a student ticket).  And if you reserve online or by phone, you MUST reserve the free children’s tickets at the same time (no fee).

Can I buy tickets at the gate?  Yes, although a number of last year’s performances sold out and we had to turn some patrons away.

How much is the Ticket Service Fee? $2 per ticket.  CSC is paying for half of the Ovation ticketing charges this year.  If you reserve a free kid’s ticket or father’s ticket, you should not be charged a fee for those tickets at all.  And if you get both shows for $40, you’ll pay a $4 service fee.

I want to see both shows!  Do I get a discount?
Absolutely—but only if you pre-order your tickets through Ovation!.  You can get tickets to both plays for $40 (no senior or other discounts apply to this offer).  That’s a savings of $10!  Just tell the ticket sales operator or go online to buy tickets and CLICK HERE and select the number of packages you want.  It will then prompt you to select your performances.

What are Fun But Formal Fridays?:  Add enchantment to your Friday evening by reserving a small table for two ($25), complete with tablecloth and romantic lighting.  Dinner is not included.

Can I reserve a picnic table?  There are several picnic tables at the back of the audience seating and at some performances they go pretty fast.  If you can’t come early to grab one, just reserve it for $50 and it will be held for you and only you!  These tables seat six adults comfortably.

How do Family Performances Work?  At Sunday Family Performances, children of all ages are welcome.  If a baby is crying or a toddler is miserable, there’s lots of space in the park to take a walk.  One of the actors will tell the story of the show to the kids ahead of time, there will be coloring, face painting and meet the actors time.  But patrons without kids are most welcome as well!

What’s the Double Header?
It’s our own Shakespeare Marathon on Saturday, June 28.  We open the gates at 3:30, Comedy of Errors starts at 5 p.m., we break for dinner around 7:00 p.m. and we start The Tempest at 8 pm.  You pay $35 and you may go to both or only one.  The rain date is Saturday, July 5.  You can purchase your Double Header ticket through Ovation! by clicking HERE or at the gate.  And if you’re only interested in seeing one show that day, you can buy tickets for just the one performance.

How does Father’s Day work?
Any child of any age may bring his/her father to the Father’s Day show (June 15) of The Comedy of Errors and Dad gets in free.  Last year, Father’s Day sold out days ahead of time, so get your tickets for this event early.  You MUST reserve your free children’s and free Dad’s tickets at the same time and there must be a paying adult in your group (unless you can find us a Corporate Sponsor for Father’s Day!).  You can get your free father’s tickets either online or by phone.

I’m having trouble getting tickets for kids or seniors online.  What am I doing wrong?  It’s not your fault; it’s a trick of the web formatting that we can’t seem to get changed.  After you’ve selected your total number of tickets and clicked enter, you’ll wind up on a page where each ticket says “Regular Admission $25”.  Simply click on the down-arrow to the right of the box to pull up senior tickets and free kids tickets options.

How do I get to the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park?
From Columbia and the South:
Take Route 29 North to Route 40 East. Turn right at Rogers Avenue. After 1 mile where Rogers Avenue splits off on the right, bear left and continue straight on the main road, which becomes Courthouse Drive. This road ends at Sarah’s Lane.
From Baltimore and North:
Route 70 West to Route 29 South on the left. Take Route 40 East and turn right onto Rogers Avenue. Proceed as above.
From the West:
Route 70 East to Route 29 South. Take Route 40 East. Proceed as above.

CLICK HERE FOR MAP

Tell me about the parking situation:
There’s a big lot for patrons to park in at the bottom of the hill.  You may take the shuttle, provided by the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks or walk up the hill.  You are welcome to drop off passengers and picnic baskets at the box office at the top of the hill.  There are also a limited number of handicapped parking spaces in the park itself.

What’s the deal with seating?
CSC provides 150 chairs.  You may also bring your own lawn chair and sit in a designated area or spread a picnic blanket in the area for those.  We have room for about 300 people.  On very full days, we may ask that you not use your own lawn chairs due to space constraints.

Is wine or beer allowed?
You may bring wine or beer to the show, but not purchase it at the park.  The Howard County Liquor Board has a policy that if people are allowed to bring their own alcohol to the park, liquor may not be sold.  Please be cautious with glass in the Park.

Can I bring my dog to the Park?  Dogs are not allowed.

What’s The Show Before The Show?  Each year we have some sort of entertainment before the show—stage combat demonstrations, a scene from the show not playing that night, and performances from local musicians.

What do you do if it rains?
We do everything possible to get in the performance, but sometimes we have no choice but to cancel.  First, call 410.313.8874 to see if we’ve already cancelled the performance.  Other times, we will hold the curtain for up to 45 minutes if the radar shows that the storm will pass.  If we do cancel and you have pre-ordered your tickets, you may use your tickets at any other show—just call and let us know the date you’d like to move your ticket to.

What are Extended Versions?
Like extras you get on a DVD, CSC provides pre-sessions with some of the experts in our company to give you a more in-depth view of the plays.  The Comedy of Errors Extended Version with a look at the history of comedy and the sources of the play will be on Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m., with Dr. Nathan Thomas, CSC's Literary Consultant.  The Tempest Extended Version with a discussion of the difference between Shakespeare's romances and his comedies will be on Saturday, June 14 at 7 p.m., with Dr. Kevin Costa, CSC Education Director.