Boston Harbor Islands...

I made it out to Georges and Spectacle Island this year. DCR runs a boat service for $14 to both islands including a connector ferry between them. They just passed their "end of season" and that changes their scheduling from when I went so you'll have to check into that, sorry.

Georges Island is home to Fort Warren, a large Civil War era star-shaped fort (similar to Fort Independence in South Boston and Fort McHenry in Baltimore). The fort is in okay condition and the rest of the island is somewhat dedicated for walking and picnicing. The parade ground inside of the fort could be an interesting place for a play, I noticed a small wooden stage in one corner of the fort that the DCR must use for orientations and other presentations. There are a few doorways, windows, cannons, and other items that you might even be able to incorporate depending on the play, permission, etc.

Spectacle Island is larger and closer to the city. It has two hills (North Drumlin and South Drumlin) and was originally built as a landfill/dump that is now capped and turned into a nature area. The north hill faces the city and the skyline from there is pretty nice. The south hill is shorter and faces towards Moon Island, Long Island, etc. You can see the fire fighter training center from the south hill (tall grey buildings on the shore a moderate distance away). There is a life-guard protected beach (don't know about off-season) near the visitor's center and hiking trails around the island. I'm not sure how well a play would work on Spectacle Island for lack of a good seating/viewing area.

Both islands have docks for private boat access. Both islands also maintain a "trash in, trash out" policy that is not well announced prior to your arrival. If you bring it, you take it out. There are no public trash receptacles on either island. You can check out the photos I took at my online gallery if that helps at all.

You'll probably need to contact the DCR or possibly NPS if you want to organize an event there. There are a few other islands to consider as well but I didn't get to any of them myself. Some are primarily for camping, others are only for nature walks, and one (Little Brewster) has the last Coast Guard operated lighthouse in the U.S.

The Harbor Islands are great and actually the perfect venue for performances. Currently, the Boston Children's Theatre (live theater for children by children) performs on Georges Island every Friday afternoon throughout the summer, but I could easily envision a Shakesperare play being put on at Lovell's Island, which has wonderful ruins, as well as Grape Island. Best to speak to the folks in charge of programming: The Boston Harbor Island Alliance.

As for the islands themselves, I recently finished reading a book called Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City's Hidden Shores. (It's a staff pick at the Brookline Booksmith, though I heard about it in the Travel Section of the New York Times last month.) I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who's into local history or interested in uncovering some off-the-beaten-path gems. The book does a fantastic job of telling the stories of all 34 islands in the harbor (YES! 34 islands! Who knew?) What I most admired was how the the stories of the islands were so personal to Boston--from the crazy castaways to the shipwreck survivors, you really get the sense of how integral these islands were to the life of the growing city. These days, they offer the perfect afternoon (or overnight--you can camp on some too!) getaway. I visited a bunch this summer and plan on getting out there next summer too.

Anyone who's interested might want to go to the Boston Harbor Islands Regatta, on Sept. 27 on Georges Island. (Check the Island Alliance website, I think.) Tons of activities and Chris Klein, author of Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands will be signing books. Also, they have brought back Halloween on the Harbor (October 25/26th.) Those familiar with Edward Rowe Snow and his famous telling of the Lady in Black will NOT want to miss this!