NEW YORK — It was a sweltering summer evening in Manhattan’s famous Battery Park, and Macbeth had just been slain to end one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known plays.

Then a young boy bounded across the “stage” — a grassy stretch of the park — to collect fireflies.

Hey, it’s truly Shakespeare in the Park, and anything can happen. That’s much of the charm of the New York Classical Theatre’s productions. And if you’re going to New York in summertime, visiting Battery Park and taking in a Shakespeare performance are must-dos.

Some of the Shakespeare performances are staid and traditional; others experimental. Most of them are memorable, thanks to the unique environment of the park that serves as a mood-charging backdrop and the extra creativity the companies put into them.

Such was the production of “Macbeth” that I was lucky enough to see last month in Battery Park, a 25-acre expanse on the southern tip of Manhattan that takes its name from the artillery batteries once stationed there for the Dutch and British to protect New York Harbor.

The park boasts gardens, an impressive view of the Statue of Liberty, and thought-provoking memorials, including those dedicated to veterans who fought in World War II and the Korean War.

One of its most powerful memorials wasn’t originally intended to be there: Fritz Koenig’s “The Sphere,” which originally stood at the plaza of the World Trade Center, was moved to Battery Park after it was damaged on 9/11.

The memorials are favorite backdrops for the New York Classical Theater productions that require audiences to sprint from location to location around the park between scenes.

Artistic director Stephen Burdman explained the philosophy in a 2005 interview with The New York Daily News.

“Instead of just plopping the play in the park setting because it’s free,” he said, “the goal is to make it look like they just happen to be there and the audience is just spying upon all this stuff. It gets the audience very involved. Having a physical involvement with the play as well as an emotional involvement, is not just sitting back and letting it happen but being active and understanding the journey of the characters.”

The frenzied audience-and actor-sprinting practice was not without its drawbacks. One audience member, crouching to allow the people behind her to see, was treated to a scene-long view of the rump of the woman who was standing in front of her.

But the running also led to a lot of fun, as several hundred audience members dodged puzzled park visitors and occasionally whooped as if they were taking part in the play’s battles themselves.

The actors frequently exhorted the crowd to move quickly, pointing out where to run, and telling them to “make way” as they rushed through the crowd to begin a scene.

Thanks to that flexibility of movement, the audience for this summer’s version of “Macbeth” was also treated to spectacular views and original moments in addition to one of Shakespeare’s most harrowing tales.

A scene where Macbeth and his wife plot their first bloody deed was given a martial, solemn air thanks to its location in Clinton Castle, a fort originally built to repel a British invasion in 1812. A scene where Macduff is told of his family’s murder was given extra weight because of where he was standing: between the gray walls of a memorial to missing servicemen of World War II.

The actress who played Lady Macbeth was given a special challenge while performing her final scene, which took place within sight of the Statue of Liberty. During one point of the scene, a boat blasting music rolled lazily by; during another, she paused subtly as another boat sounded its horn.

The audience members were too engrossed in the drama to be distracted by the park, but it’s unlikely they would have been blamed if they had.

While the cast members have to endure occasional interruption, including questions by children in mid-scene and dogs bounding across the performance space, most of the park’s visitors are respectful of the art, even if they’re not quite sure what’s happening.

During one scene toward the end of the play, a pair of skateboarders gathered up their boards as a knot of characters in Shakespeare-inspired garb came running their way — followed by a crowd of several hundred audience members.

The skateboarders picked up their boards and watched the scene unfold.