Center Valley, PA — “A kingdom for a stage:” Shakespeare’s Henry V will rule over the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Main Stage in the company’s 24th summer season, and his magical romance Pericles will bring “wind, rain and thunder” to the intimate Schubert Theatre.
Running May 29 through August 2, 2015, the season will also include a ten-year anniversary production of Around the World in 80 Days andthe contemporary comedy The Foreigner, which will be performed in repertory with Henry V.
The season will open with a new production of a world-renowned award-winning musical. The title will be announced in January in honor of a licensing agreement, as the show is currently running on Broadway.
Children’s programming features Rapunzel and Shakespeare for Kids.
“Season selection is the most important decision we make each year,” says Patrick Mulcahy, producing artistic director. “Our continued success as we work to fulfill our vision of world-class work creates wonderfully high expectations among our audience members. They rely on us, in a way, to provide these life-enriching experiences. So, getting the season right is vital. We think we have done that.”
With 140+ performances of seven productions each summer, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is a professional company in residence on the idyllic Center Valley campus of DeSales University, featuring acclaimed actors from New York, Philadelphia and L.A.
New in 2015 is offering Wednesday matinees of the season’s musical on June 17th and 24th. The Festival anticipates announcing the title of the musical in mid January at a special event. Dennis Razze, PSF associate artistic director who has helmed all of PSF’s musical productions, will direct.
Matt Pfeiffer, recipient of the acclaimed F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist and a seven-time Barrymore Award nominee, returns to direct Henry V following his acclaimed production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona last summer. Pfeiffer has directed at many of Philadelphia’s leading theatres, including The Arden, Walnut Street and Theatre Exile, where he is associate artistic director.
Drama Desk Award winner Russell Treyz directed Romeo and Juliet in PSF’s inaugural 1992 season. He returns to direct the tenth anniversary production of Around the World in 80 Days, which he directed at PSF to rave reviews in 2005.
Following his tremendous success with last summer’s hit Lend Me a Tenor, Jim Helsinger, artistic director of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater and a frequent PSF actor and director, will return to direct The Foreigner.
Pericles will be the Festival’s fourth production rehearsed the way Shakespeare’s company likely would have, with the actors taking control, arriving with their lines learned and opening before an audience in a matter of days. There is no director—the position did not exist in Shakespeare’s time. And no designers, also a more recent invention.
Pericles will be the 28th of Shakespeare’s 38 plays produced by PSF as the Festival continues its progression through the canon.
Performances are held 7pm Tuesdays, 8pm Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. There are also some performances at 7:30pm Sundays.
Main Stage Theatre
The Musical… that cannot be named (until January 15)
June 10 – June 28
The Foreigner
July 8 – August 2
Henry V
July 16 – August 2
Shakespeare for Kids
July 22 – August 1
Schubert Theatre
Around the World in 80 Days
June 17 – July 12
Pericles
July 22 – August 2
Rapunzel
May 29 – August 1
Subscription renewals will be available in early November; new subscriptions will be available after January 14th.
The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, a professional company in residence at DeSales University, is the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth and a professional, not-for-profit theatre company. An independent 501 c 3 organization, PSF receives support from DeSales University and relies on contributions from individuals, government agencies, corporations and foundations. PSF is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Shakespeare Theatre Association, the Lehigh Valley Arts Council, and Discover Lehigh Valley.