After several years of comedies, Manawatu Summer Shakepeare turns its attention to things tragic in 2015, with The Tragedy of King Lear, directed in a Carnival setting by Jaime Dörner, who directed 2011's Globe Production of the Year "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Music will be by Suzy Hawes, who has composed for numerous Summer Shakespeares, including Twelfth Night  and last year's As You Like It. Leda Farrow will design the set for the third consecutive year, and costume design will be by Sarah Carswell, who returns to Summer Shakespeare having recently graduated in costume from Toi Whakāri. The cast and crew features veterans and debutantes, and all together, this adds up to a piece that promises to be intense and spectacular, and to live up to the excellence  of prior productions. As ever, entry is by koha, making Summer Shakespeare Palmerston North's most affordable quality entertainment.