Cicada Brood X has begun to emerge from their slumber after 17 years underground.

They will mate by the trillions and while this may be a great thing for bug lovers, it will cause some major problems for the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s outdoor performances this spring.

“The noise alone is impossible to act over,” says artistic director Bonnie Monte.

The outdoor facility in Florham Park is closed to a wooded area. Theater officials say that they anticipate the noise from the cicadas to cause a disturbance.

“And beyond the noise, they tend to dive-bomb people. And I don’t think the audience or the actors will enjoy huge shrimp-sized bugs dive-bombing at them,” Monte says.

But the shows will go on at the St. Elizabeth University amphitheater, where the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey had performed its outdoor summer shows until the pandemic.

While there may be social distancing this summer depending on state regulations, the nonprofit theater based in Madison which stages the works of William Shakespeare and other classics is glad to return to its summer home.

“It’s spectacular to be able to do shows again,” says director of education Brian Crowe.

The theater is presenting two plays in repertory beginning in July. By then the cicadas should have done their business and be gone.

“This really feels like we’re back in the theater. Back in a great structural space that we get to enjoy – that the audience gets to be part of the process,” Crowe says.

On the schedule this summer - Shakespeare's "A Comedy of Errors" and an original play inspired by Shakespeare entitled "Snug." Performances begin July 8, with tickets going on sale soon.