At the recent St. Louis Earth Day festival at Forest Park, I noticed a woman walking by, who was wearing a t-shirt bearing the phrase "Free Will." Probably because I'm in the process of reading two books on the topic (one by Dan Dennett and the other a brand new book by Sam Harris), I stopped her to ask about her shirt. "Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice your t-shirt. Are you in interested in philosophical questions?" She looked down at her shirt, smiled, then said: "No, I'm with Shakespeare in the Park." It took me a few seconds, but I finally got it. The woman's name is Laura Copppinger, and she is the Marketing Assistant for the St. Louis version of Shakespeare in the Park. She was quite happy that I stopped her to ask about the shirt, because it bore the brand new marketing slogan to promote this year's production: Othello, which will run from May 25 - June 17. The mission of Shakespeare in the park:

The Festival annually attracts an audience of over 60,000 in the park and reaches over 25,000 in the schools. We have been awarded numerous Kevin Kline Awards, and in 2012 we received the Exemplary Community Achievement Award from Missouri Humanities Council. The Festival is nearly entirely supported by contributions. We believe theatre is a powerful force for social change and should be accessible to all.