Shakespeare, he’s in the alley — and on the island.

Acorn Productions brings its lively “Naked Shakespeare” series to Peaks Island for six dinner theater performances at the Inn on Peaks Island. “Midsummer Merriment” begins at 6 p.m. Monday.

The inn has retitled its pub-style fare with Shakespearean names. While diners ponder their dinner choices and await the arrival of their meals, members of the Acorn Shakespeare Ensemble will entertain with a shortened version of their popular “Sonnets and Soliloquies” show, consisting of speeches from Shakespeare’s plays cued by audience members with contemporary-worded cue cards.

At 7 p.m., the troupe will perform an 80-minute collection of short comic scenes from a variety of the Bard’s works.

Admission is $10 ($5 for children 12 and younger), and audience members may attend without buying dinner. Food is not included in the ticket price.

The bar will be open during all performances. Ferry service is available from Portland, and those coming from the mainland should take the 5:35 p.m. boat on Casco Bay Lines. Patrons who stay through the end of the performance can return on the 8:40 p.m. boat, or later.

“Midsummer Merriment” continues a partnership between Acorn Productions and the Inn on Peaks Island. Mike Levine, Acorn’s artistic director, lives on the island. The collaborative effort began two years ago with a performance of “Richard II,” and continued this past winter with Acorn’s “Fools for Love” scene night at the inn.

The new performance series will take place under a large tent that the inn uses for wedding receptions. Audience members are free to enter and leave the performance area during the show, creating a casual environment that is well suited to younger audience members.

“Midsummer Merriment” features three line-ups of scenes, each of which will be performed twice.

Schedule A, to be performed on Monday and July 19, includes scenes from “All’s Well That Ends Well,” “Henry IV” (part one), “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Tempest” and “Twelfth Night.”

Schedule B, to be performed on Aug. 9 and Aug. 18, includes scenes from “As You Like It,” “Henry IV” (part one), “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Taming of the Shrew” and “Twelfth Night.”

Schedule C, closing the series Aug. 25 and Sept. 8, consists of excerpted selections from “All’s Well That Ends Well,” “As You Like It,” “Henry IV” (part one), “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Taming of the Shrew,” “The Tempest” and “Twelfth Night.”

Each schedule will also include a rotating repertory of speeches delivered by the seven company members performing.

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:

bkeyes@pressherald.com