If you've been alarmed by the groups of people shouting at each other in Volunteer Park recently, it's for a good cause: those are actors rehearsing and, believe us, it's better if they rehearse.

The free-to-the-public Seattle Outdoor Theatre Festival, presented by Greenstage, unites a number of companies (Theater Schmeater, SSC/Wooden O, Open Circle, and more) willing to brave the elements and the flight path to SeaTac. (Greenstage is not just in Volunteer Park, by the way -- they're all over through August 16.)

This year, there's so many of them that they're opening a SOTF Second Stage, directly behind the Seattle Asian Art Museum (the east side). Here's the lineup for the fest, which is the weekend after next.

Saturday, July 12
* 11am - The Tempest - Young Shakespeare Workshop
* 2pm - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wooden O Productions
* 2pm - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Second Stage) - Open Circle Theater
* 5pm - The Wind in the Willows - Theater Schmeater
* 7pm - Hamlet - GreenStage

Sunday, July 13
* 12pm - All's Well That Ends Well - Last Leaf Productions
* 2pm - Twelfth Night - GreenStage
* 2pm - As You Like It (Second Stage)- Eclectic Theater
* 5pm - The Wind in the Willows - Theater Schmeater
* 7pm - Romeo and Juliet - Wooden O Productions

Bring a chair, pillows, or a blanket. If it's sunny, go to town with the sunscreen, but also think about a hat. Three hours in the mid-day sun will leave you a little woozy afterward. And while it's free, they do take donations and every little bit will help.

Photo: Greenstage's 2005 Henry V.