Love's Labour's Lost | Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 8:00pm
Shakespeare's heartwarming play about love in the most "inconvenient" times. Love conquers all ... or does it!? Outdoor Shakespeare Gardens.
Date and time
Location
Oklahoma Shakespeare
2920 Paseo Oklahoma City, OK 73103Refund Policy
About this event
Plot Summary - provided by PlayShakespeare.com
The King of Navarre, and his three friends, Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine, all swear themselves to three years of study, abstaining from all distractions, particularly of the female kind, with only Armado, and Costard to entertain them. They are confounded, on signing the vow, when Berowne remembers that the Princess of France and her three ladies, Rosaline, Maria, and Katharine, attended by Boyet, are on an embassy to Navarre’s court.
Armado, has decided to arrest Costard for being in the company of a woman—the woman being Jaquenetta, who Armado himself is in love with. The ladies arrive, and the King and his lords fall in love with them. Armado frees Costard on condition he delivers a note to Jaquenetta; Berowne charges Costard with a letter to Rosaline; and the two letters get mixed up.
The four lords enter one by one and despair about their love for their particular woman, and one by one are overheard by the others. They decide to tear the oath up, and woo the ladies. They disguise themselves as Russians, but Boyet tells the ladies beforehand, and the ladies change identities with each other. The lords enter, and woo the wrong women. They leave, and on their return are mocked by the ladies.
Armado then approaches the schoolmaster Holofernes and curate Nathaniel to join with him, Costard, and the page, Mote, to present the Nine Worthies as entertainment to the nobles. This provides them with many opportunities for comment and laughter. The mood changes when Marcade brings news that the Princess’s father has died. As the ladies prepare to leave, the lords affirm that all their expressions of love were genuine, but the Princess claims that everything was in jest. The ladies tell the lords that, if they are serious, they must carry out certain tasks for a year, and then return to offer marriage. The lords agree. Armado then presents the learned men in a dialogue between the owl and the cuckoo, representing winter and spring, by way of conclusion.
©2005-2024 PlayShakespeare.com. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this information under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. Terms at http://www.playshakespeare.com/license
FURTHER READING
PLAYSHAKESPEARE.COM: Love's Labour's Lost: Synopsis & Plot Summary
THE SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST: Summary of Love's Labour's Lost | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
WIKIPEDIA: Love's Labour's Lost - Wikipedia
PLEASE NOTE: Ticket Pricing & Policies — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions — Oklahoma Shakespeare (okshakes.org)
Frequently asked questions
We believe theatre is inclusive and communal. We welcome you to our neighborhood, and hope you enjoy your time here. You are encouraged to dress to your style, and to feel comfortable bringing your authentic self to our home, and we rely on you to allow others to do the same.
The Box Office opens one-hour before curtain, and tickets may be purchased or picked up at that time. House seating for the Shakespeare Gardens begins 45-minutes prior to curtain. House seating for the Black Box begins 30-minutes prior to curtain. Patrons may wait in the lobby prior to House open.
We are located in the Paseo Arts District in Oklahoma City. Our address is 2920 Paseo, Oklahoma City, OK 73103. We have a 55-seat indoor Black Box theatre, and a 200-seat outdoor theatre, named The Shakespeare Gardens, directly behind our building. Access is granted to both through our front door.
Parking is limited in the Paseo, so we encourage you to arrive 20-30 minutes early. Patrons arriving late will be seated at the discretion of House Management. There are no refunds for late arrivals or missed performances.
Our outdoor venue is “Picnic Friendly,” and we encourage you to bring the food of your choice, but we do not allow outside beverages. We offer service in The Mermaid Tavern, selling both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks. No outside food is permitted in the Black Box.
RESERVED PATIO SEATING - chair, cushion, and table provided. LAWN GENERAL ADMISSION - bring your own lawn chair or blanket or rent one from us (supplies limited). Chair seating towards the rear and sides, blankets down front. Space is limited, so be prepared to adjust your position, if requested.
Indoor seating is provided on cushioned theatre seats and is reserved.
Oklahoma Shakespeare will not cancel on the prediction of rain. Performances are cancelled only when adverse conditions persist during the scheduled performance time. In the event of a rainout, “Rain Checks” will be offered to patrons in attendance.
Please, out of respect for our performers, and your fellow patrons, do not attempt to record or photograph actors during the performance. Violators of this policy may be asked to leave. Photos and videos may be taken at other times, and we encourage you to share and tag #okshakespeare.
We welcome children of any age to The Shakespeare Gardens, but limit admission to those age 7 or older for indoor performances, with the special exception of our Christmas show, for which children of all ages are encouraged to attend! Please review our "Content Guide" for patron age suitability.
Shakespeare loved dogs, and we do, too; but unfortunately, we don't have the facility to accommodate them, at this time, so please leave your puppers at home. Service animals with tags or medallions are welcome.
Organized by
Oklahoma's Professional Classical Theatre since 1985, celebrating our newly renovated home in the historic Paseo Arts District, OKC!