FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

We've put together a short video of some helpful tips to know before heading to a show at Shakespeare Royal Oak. We hope to see you at the park!

https://youtu.be/gzS5I75VjII

Royal Oak’s Starr Jaycee Park is on 13 Mile Road between Main and Crooks, two miles east of Woodward Avenue. (Click here for map/directions). Our theater is just a short walk from the free parking areas in Starr Jaycee Park, including Farley Field.

Starr Jaycee Park is Royal Oak’s largest park (28-acres) with play structures, a disk golf course, mini-train tracks, ball diamonds and lots of old growth trees.

For two weeks this summer, the park is also home to a barrier-free, open-air theatre, custom built by Water Works Theatre Company under a permit issued by the City of Royal Oak. We make sure that people who come to enjoy the park can have unrestricted access to the facilities, even if they are not attending our shows. However, we do close the child play structures and disk golf holes 9 and 18 during our performances.

You are welcome to picnic in the park outside the theater in the pavilion area we’ve rented for you, but our permit from the City of Royal Oak does not allow “outside” food or drink to be brought inside the enclosed theater area. Our concession booth offers a selection of inexpensive soft drinks, fresh popcorn and pre-packaged healthy treats for purchase.

We also offer beer and wine for sale during the show (proper ID required).

Please note: As a public, city-owned park, no alcohol or illegal/non-prescribed controlled substances may be possessed or consumed inside Starr Jaycee Park by the patrons. Water Works asks that you kindly refrain from smoking within the theater area and anywhere that might disturb our patrons or staff.

Animals are allowed in the park with leash laws obeyed, but NO PETS are allowed inside the theatre area.

Seating is general admission and is assigned by our friendly ushers based on the size of your party, and the size and type of seating you choose. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket, or to take advantage of our bleacher seating. Patrons with taller lawn chairs are seated behind those with lower chairs and blankets. Our Hospitality Tent also has blankets and seat cushions available for loan to make you more comfortable.

Absolutely. Our ushers will gladly provide you with on-site assistance and early seating. For specific questions or special arrangements, call the Water Works office at 248.399.3727.

Our theater is just a short walk from the parking areas in Starr Jaycee Park, including the grassy parking lot (Farley Field) on 13 Mile, just west of the baseball diamond. Additional free parking is available two blocks north of 13 Mile Road on Marais Street at the Royal Oak Board of Education building. Patrons wishing to drop off their chairs before parking may use the handicapped access in the central parking lot near the box office.

In accordance with U.S. copyright laws and Actors’ Equity Association rules, no individual photography or recording will be permitted during our shows.  There is no restriction on family recording or photography of KidsAct! or SRO Teen Ensemble performances.

Yes. Water Works Theatre Company does not control the entire territory of Starr Jaycee Park during our events. We operate in a selected area of the park under a Special Event Permit issued by the City of Royal Oak, which gives us temporary rights and responsibilities in our part of the park. Public parking and restrooms are always available to all park patrons. However, several areas of the park are temporarily closed during Water Works performances and events:

Park Pavilions: Water Works rents the large central pavilion for our patrons and the small west pavilion for our production team. These will not be accessible to the public during our performances and events without express permission from Water Works management.

Play Structures:  The three children’s play structures normally close at 9:00 p.m. Water Works is permitted to close the play structures during our performances to help minimize noise and distractions for our actors and audience members.

Disc Golf Course Holes 9 and 18:  For safety reasons, Water Works is permitted to close disc golf course holes number 9 and 18 during our performances. This also helps to minimize noise and distractions for our actors and audience members.

Baseball Diamonds and Volley Ball Area: One of the three baseball diamonds and the west volley ball area are unavailable during our event.

Tickets to this year’s performances are only good for the date and time purchased except for a rain out.

In order to properly plan for the safety of all, your ticket is ONLY good for the date and time purchased except for a rain out. If you need to make an exchange, please contact Brown Paper Tickets’ customer service office at support@brownpapertickets.com as soon as possible.

Advance ticket sales are sold online with no will call or reservations. If you purchased print-at-home tickets and are unable to print them, you can save a copy of your ticket file as a PDF or screenshot on your phone. We can scan that barcode at the gate. Our box office staff will be available one hour prior to show time to purchase tickets at the park, but we highly recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance.

If you need to purchase tickets on the day of the show, you will find scannable QR codes near the box office. We are encouraging guests to purchase last minute mobile tickets through  $35. Guests will receive a mobile bar code to scan at the theatre gate.

Direct Cash, Check, and Credit Card sales will be available in person at the box office tent for $35. If purchasing tickets in person, please have only one person from your party visit the tent. The box office will open 60 Minutes prior to show time.

We open the gates approximately 30-45 minutes prior to show time. Our staff of ushers will be available to help you find the best location for your party. If there is a line at the gate when you arrive, please allow a comfortable amount of space between parties while waiting to enter.

Our staff will assign blanket and chair placement to assure that everyone has an enjoyable, safe experience in the park.

We will not be able to loan out blankets or lawn chairs as we’ve done in the past, so please plan to bring yours with you to the show.

Our bleachers will be sanitized prior to each performance. We will have seat cushions available in our hospitality tent for loan. These will be sanitized after each use.

As always, there is no outside food or beverage permitted in the theatre.

You may picnic outside the theatre area. Also, local beer, wine, soft drinks, popcorn and snacks will be available for sale inside the theatre from our Shakespeare Popcorn Company concession trailer where we will use enhanced safety protocols. Our concessions stand prefers cash transactions, however, concessions tickets can be purchased prior to the performance with a credit card.

A limited number of permanent restrooms in the adjoining pavilion, as well as several portable restrooms, will be available. These restrooms are cleaned and sanitized prior to each performance.

While in line for concessions and restrooms, we ask that you allow a comfortable amount of space between yourself and other guests.

Feel free to bring your own insect repellent. We have the grounds professionally treated in advance and offer ‘bug wipes’ at our hospitality tent for your convenience.

By following these safety tips we will all be able to ensure that this seasons’ shows are a magical experience for our guests, performers and community

Our weather policy is like a baseball game – we stop if it rains too much. If we make the decision to cancel the show due to inclement weather, rain checks will be made available at the park for another show during the season. If the show is cancelled on closing night, a rain check will be issued for next season. Tickets are non-refundable.

Our Shakespeare show lasts about two and a half hours with an intermission. It’s Michigan, so we suggest you dress for the weather to change, just in case.

Water Works Theatre Company prides itself on offering the work of the best professional artists in Michigan. All actors, directors, designers and show technicians are compensated for their talent and time.

 

We will not require you to show proof of vaccination, or a negative Covid test, and you can rest assured that our artists and staff are fully vaccinated.

Because the festival is outdoors, state requirements and CDC recommendations do not require the use of masks or social distancing. We welcome you to wear a mask if you wish, though it is not required.

If you are feeling sick, experiencing any symptoms, or think you have recently been exposed to Covid-19, please do not attend. We ask that you contact us prior to your scheduled performance at admin@shakespeareroyaloak.com to discuss your options.

Please visit the Education tab for more information about KidsAct! for grades 1-8 and and Shakespeare Royal Oak Teen Ensemble for grades 9-12.

Contact House Manager Holly Conroy at 248.435.3777 to volunteer.

Auditions for Shakespeare Royal Oak are posted on the Shakespeare Royal Oak Facebook page, as well as on www.EncoreMichigan.com. Please check both locations in January for audition notices, and “like” us on Facebook to stay in the loop!

Please visit the Support page for all of the ways to donate. For specific questions please email admin@shakespeareroylaloak.com or call is at 248-399-3727.