The City Parks Foundation is kicking off its free summer theater festival tonight in Von King Park in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The four-week festival includes 24 performances in parks around the five boroughs.

Organizers say this continues a long tradition of free theater in New York. They say there is plenty of talent for the shows because the festival provides great exposure for local actors.

"We know that there are a lot of theater companies out there in New York that are just dying to perform," said City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel. "They have trouble finding venues. They want to connect with new audiences, and as the City Parks Foundation, we want to bring activity to parks, so it just seemed like a perfect way to bring theater companies in, get parks enlivened with activity."

There are no tickets or advance preparation needed.

The festival is presented by Time Warner, the parent company of NY1.

For more information, call 212-360-8290 or go to www.cityparksfoundation.org.