That sound you hear in Washington Square Park Thursdays through Sundays between Aug. 3-Sept. 24 is not only rowdy students, dogs and skateboarders, it's Shakespearean verse.

The urban sounds of the famed tree-filled Manhattan park in Greenwich Village will accompany Gorilla Repertory Theatre's free, outdoor stagings of Shakespeare's pastoral comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It, directed by Christopher Carter Sanderson and Andre-Philippe Mistier, respectively.

The shows, free and open to the public, are part of Gorilla Rep's mission to "bring theatre to people where they are." Midsummer has been a Gorilla tradition in Washington Square Park for 10 years. Sanderson is Gorilla Rep's artistic director, Mistier was named associate artistic director.

Midsummer opens Aug. 10 and plays 8 PM Thursdays and Saturdays, As You Like It opens Aug. 11 and plays 8 PM Fridays and Sundays.

For information about Gorilla Rep performances, call (212) 330-8086 or visit the web site at www.gorillarep.org. -- By Kenneth Jones