The Lower Hudson Valley loves its summer Shakespeare out of doors and companies from Suffern to New Canaan are more than happy to oblige with inventive takes on the bard from now through Labor Day. Accompanied by a loaf of bread and a jug of wine, it’s a midsummer night’s dream come true.

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival opens its 23rd season Saturday where it left off its 22nd, with the madcap “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).”

As with last year’s “Abridged” — a 97-minute comic dash through the entire canon — this season’s incarnation is directed by festival artistic director Terrence O’Brien and features Christopher V. Edwards and Jason O’Connell, ably assisted by Katharine Abbruzzese.

Festival favorite Kurt Rhoads returns to the company after a year’s absence. He’ll play “Kurt” in the show, replacing Noel Velez, who played “Noel.” (Pictured, from top in a photo by William Marsh: Edwards, O’Connell, Rhoads, Yorick.)

If the rest of the festival — “Much Ado About Nothing,” opening June 27 and “Pericles,” opening July 4 — can be considered the meal, “Abridged” might be an amuse bouche, a little taste to whet the appetite. It is instantly accessible, a bit naughty and laugh-out-loud funny.

Rhoads’ wife, the luminous Nance Williamson (pictured with Stephen Paul Johnson), also returns to Boscobel. She delivered a memorable performance in Broadway’s recent revival of “Cyrano,” her delivery natural, her ease evident. She was last seen at Boscobel as the melancholy Jaques in “As You Like It” in 2007, delivering the seven ages of man speech that begins “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”

This summer, Williamson plays the battling Beatrice in “Much Ado,” opposite O’Connell as Benedick. Their war of wits and hearts (they both vow never to marry, but clearly love each other) treads much the same ground as “The Taming of the Shrew.” It is less physical, say O’Connell and Williamson, but just as satisfying.

John Christian Plummer, who directed the musical “Twelfth Night” last summer, directs “Much Ado,” which was last performed at the festival in 1998.

The rarely performed “Pericles” is about a prince who finds love, loses it and then travels from one farflung place to another. On his journey, he is bedeviled by death and the fickle seas.

O’Brien (pictured in a Midtown rehearsal earlier this month) directs.

“Modern storytelling and movie editing owes a lot to Shakespeare,” says O’Brien. “(He) began that whole thing about changing locations, having a five-line scene there, jumping somewhere else and having a longer scene, jumping back and forth in time, stretching some things out and having other things happen very quickly.

“There’s a lot of adventure in his story,” O’Brien says. “There’s something about his restlessness and urgency that propels him and compels him to go to all the different places. Sometimes, he’s running toward something, sometimes, he’s running away.”

Each of the next three Saturdays, a new show will open — “Abridged,” then “Much Ado,” then “Pericles” — and then continue in repertory through Sept. 6. There are no performances Mondays. $29-$46. At Boscobel, 1601 Route 9D, Garrison. 845-265-9575 or hvshakespeare.org.

• The Public Theater plans a star-studded production of “Twelfth Night” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park with Ann Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”) as the cross-dressing Viola, Raul Esparza (“Speed-the-Plow”) as the lovelorn Orsino, Croton resident Audra McDonald (“110 in the Shade”) as the mournful Olivia, David Pittu (“LoveMusik”) as the jester Feste and Michael Cumptsy (“Hamlet”) as the vain Malvolio.

Getting free tickets for “Twelfth Night” — which runs through July 12  — is a bit more civilized and high-tech than those bygone days when you had to line up in the park rain or shine. On the day of a show, theatergoers log on to the “virtual line” — at www.publictheater.org — until 1 p.m. to register for tickets for that evening’s performance. After 1 p.m., they log on to see if they have received tickets, which they can then claim at the Delacorte Theater Box Office between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A photo ID is required for all virtual line pick-ups at the box office. There’s a senior virtual line this year for those 65 or older.

If you’re not feeling lucky and want to be assured a seat, Summer Supporter tickets are available at publictheater.org or at the Public Theater Box Office at 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan. At $170 each, they are tax-deductible. The second show of the summer is Euripides’ “The Bacchae,” Aug. 11-30, about a government bent on outlawing desire. publictheater.org.

• Rockland Shakespeare Company, in residence at SUNY Rockland Community College, presents “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” free in the open air of the Amphitheater Courtyard July 10-12 and 17-19. Directed by Patricia Maloney-Titland and Christopher Plummer, the comedy revolves around the larger-than-life Sir John Falstaff, who connives to line his pockets by charming two wives out of their husbands’ money.  Performances begin at 7 p.m. on the RCC campus, 145 College Road, Suffern. Blankets, chairs and picnic dinner recommended. 845-574-4471 or rocklandshakespearecompany.com.

• In nearby Connecticut, Shakespeare on the Sound welcomes its new artistic director Joanna Settle from the Public Theater with a moveable “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” With music by Tony-winner Stew (“Passing Strange”), this production, directed by Settle, will run June 16-28 in Pinkney Park in Rowayton and July 4-12 in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich. Both parks have the Long Island Sound view that helped to inspire the production’s design. Theatergoers may picnic before the performance. There is no admission fee, but a donation of $20 ($10 for students and seniors) is suggested. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is performed Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m. Pinkney Park is at 177 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton. Roger Sherman Baldwin Park is at 100 Arch St., Greenwich. 203-299-1300 or shakespeareonthesound.org.

• Also in Connecticut, Summer Theatre of New Canaan has a new canopy tent that will remove the elements from the equation as it presents Shakespeare out of doors in New Canaan’s Waveny Park this summer. A modern-day “Taming of the Shrew” previews tonight and opens tomorrow for a run through July 11. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. $39 priority orchestra, $28 reserved orchestra. They offer Shakespeare For Kids, an interactive and abridged version of “Taming of the Shrew” June 27, July 3 and July 11 at 2 p.m. Also this season are “Camelot” July 18 through Aug. 2 and “Pinocchio” June 26, 27, 28, July 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11. 203-966-4634 or stonc.org.

• The Port Chester Council for the Arts and the Port Chester Recreation Department present “Twelfth Night,” directed by Dobbs Ferry’s Tal Aviezer. With a cast of young adults, performances will be at 7 p.m., Aug. 13, 14 and 15, near the Girl Scout House in Lyon Park, 60 Parkway Drive, Port Chester. Free, but donations suggested, as are picnic blankets and lawn chairs. 914-939-3183 or portchestershakespeare.org.

• YMCA of Tarrytown and YTheatre present a Wild West take on “Much Ado About Nothing,” with a cast ages 11 to 18 under the direction of Peter Royston. Performances will be outdoors in Patriot’s Park on Broadway in Tarrytown July 30 at 7:30 p.m., July 31 at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1 at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. 914-631-4807 or ymcatarrytown.org.