The Scranton Shakespeare Festival’s upcoming season will examine fame and celebrity from different angles, with a mix of popular musicals and William Shakespeare plays.
The 14th annual festival assembles a company of visiting professional and local performers to present free shows at its theater inside the Marketplace at Steamtown, Scranton.
There is a sizable local presence in the group of 34 performers, with actor and writer Conor McGuigan playing Julius Caesar in July.
“Like the theater gods usually arrange things, l feel like we found a really interesting, exciting season,” said Michael Bradshaw Flynn, artistic director and co-founder.
The shows are:
• A Youth Ensemble production of “Romeo and Juliet”: June 20-22, plus July 24. Juliet will be played by Violet Martin, a Scranton High School student. She will also be in a main stage production of “Hairspray.” John Roman Vacchino of Clarks Summit will be Romeo.
The upcoming season of the Scranton Shakespeare Festival. (Scranton Shakespeare Festival)
Dane Huggler and Violet Martin in a past production by the Scranton Shakespeare Festival. Martin, a Scranton High School student, will play Juliet in the Festival Youth Ensemble production of “Romeo and Juliet” and will be in the main stage prodcution of “Hairspray.” (Brandon Lam Photography)
• “Sister Act”: June 26-29, plus July 26. The musical is based on the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie about a singer who hides out in a convent and brings new life with her.
• “Julius Caesar”: July 9, 11-13, plus July 25. “As a nonprofit, we are not allowed to be political, but one can’t help but see ‘Julius Caesar’ is about people who are passionate about what they see happening in their government,” Flynn said. “And I think if you look around, not only here, but in almost every country, there is a lot of political unrest. So l think there will certainly be real-life similarities.”
• “Hairspray”: July 17-20, plus July 27, is about a 1960s girl with dreams of making it on an “American Bandstand”-style show.
• “Timon of Athens”: July 10, 12, 13, plus July 26, is about the richest man in Athens, oligarchy and grappling with turns of fate. It will be brought into the current era. “It’s a play about money, about celebrity, about fame and about friendship,” Flynn said. It’s not frequently performed, but the festival has had good responses to other of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays. “We are confident we are building a Shakespearean audience,” Flynn said.
• “Little Shop of Horrors”: The musical about a man whose carnivorous plant makes him a celebrity goes on July 31, plus Aug. 1-3.
Watching a repertory company over a season means audiences see the same people in very different roles weeks apart. “Which is one of the most fun things for the audience members,” Flynn said. “To see the villain play the hero. There is something really fun about that.”
Producing the season will cost $115,655.
“It’s hard,” Flynn said.
The festival has a new sponsorship, a $5,000 donation, from PNC Bank, going specifically toward Shakespeare.
The festival receives Lackawanna County funding and other grants, holds fundraising performances, solicits sponsorships and collects audience donations at the free shows.
Occasionally, the festival has received some federal funds, but it’s doubtful this year’s request will be granted. Federal arts agencies, like many others, are being restructured and many existing grants are being canceled.
Festival information at: scrantonshakes.com.