Festival 56

by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's fun, light-hearted battle of the sexes comes to the festival stage!

Ferdinand, King of Navarre, has forbidden women from his court so that he and his friends may devote three years to monk-like study.

So when the Princess of France arrives outside with her lovely ladies-in-waiting, the gentlemen of the King's court are, of course, immediately tempted to sneak away from court in disguise and pursue the ladies.

But the Princess and her ladies-in-waiting have other plans for the men...

July 4th - August 4th

sponsored by Commercial Sound

Soldiers and Sailors Park

by Ross & Raitt

One of the most popular and successful musicals in recent memory, this deliciously goofy revue centers on four young, eager, male singers killed in a car crash in the 1950s on the way to their first big concert, and now miraculously revived for the posthumous chance to fulfill their dreams and perform the show that never was.

Singing in close harmony and executing their charming, outlandish choreo-graphy with over-zealous precision, the "Plaids" are a guaranteed smash.

With a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that keeps audiences rolling in the aisles when they're not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the '50s such as Sixteen Tons, Catch a Falling Star and Heart & Soul.

June 25th - July 3rd

sponsored by Kirby Henning Pharmacy

Grace Performing Arts Center

by Wise, Haimsohn & Miller

This long-running, off-Broadway, tap-dance musical is based on the campy nostalgia of the Hollywood musicals of the 1930's.

The scene is Big Time New York: Into the scene wanders a sweet, little girl from faraway Hometown, who has come to make it big on Broadway. By chance, she runs into a friendly face, the Hometown boy: a sailor with dreams of becoming a big time songwriter.

When the Hometown girl gets a small part in the chorus, the show's femme fatale makes goo-goo eyes at the sailor, rocking the boat of true love.

But in true Hollywood style, the sailor-songwriter will save the show with a smash tune, sung by the Hometown girl on the deck of the passing battleship, making her a big Broadway star!

July 9th - July 17th

(want to sponsor? your name here!)

Grace Performing Arts Center

by Larry Shue

An aspiring young architect, Willum Cubbert, has often told his friends about Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he never met but who saved his life in Vietnam. He has written a letter to Rick to tell him that as long as he is alive, "you will have someone who will do anything for you." So Willum is delighted when Rick shows up at his apartment on the night of his 34th birthday party.

But delight soon fades as it becomes clear that Rick is a hopeless "nerd," a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. And he won't leave.

As Rick stays on and on, his continued presence leads to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence.

July 13th - July 18th

(want to sponsor? your name here!)

Council Auditorium (PHS)

by Yasmina Reza

How much would you pay for a white painting? Would it matter who the painter was? Would it be art?

One of Marc's best friends, Serge, has just bought a very expensive painting: all white, with white diagonal lines. To Marc, the painting is a joke, but Serge insists Marc doesn't have the proper standard to judge the work. Lines are drawn as old friends square off over the canvas. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they threaten to destroy the men's friendship. When Serge hands Marc a felt tip pen and dares him to "Go on." the friendship is tested, and the aftermath reaffirms the power of those bonds.

This dark comedy is quickly becoming a new favorite in theatres across the country.

July 20th - July 25th

sponsored by Central Bank

Grace Performing Arts Center

by Ahrens & Flaherty

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty,
the authors of Once On This Island, Seussical, Ragtime and the animated film Anastasia, exploded on the musical theatre scene with this zany, offbeat, and very funny murder mystery farce.

An unassuming English shoe salesman
is forced to take the corpse of his recently-murdered Atlantic City croupier uncle on a week-long
vacation to Monte Carlo.

Should he succeed,
Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6,000,000.

If not,
the money goes to the
Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.

July 30th - August 8th

sponsored by Norberg Memorial Home

Grace Performing Arts Center

by Ken Ludwig

This hilarious, American farce in the style of Noises Off and Run For Your Wife tells the story of George, a veteran stage actor, who is given a shot at the film career he always felt he deserved when Frank Capra decides to attend his performance of Private Lives.

His hopes are dashed when Charlotte, his wife (and leading lady) leaves him after discovering his infidelity with an actress. When she learns about Frank Capra, she returns to find George drowning his sorrows in booze and unable to remember what show they are doing. As the company struggles to perform Private Lives, George drunkenly decides he is performing Cyrano de Bergerac.

Both onstage and backstage, chaos reigns throughout his immensely entertaining comedy.

July 23rd - July 29th

sponsored by IV Cellular

Council Auditorium (PHS)

by Clark Gesner

An average day in the life of Charlie Brown...

...a day made up of little moments picked from all the characters in the beloved cartoons:

from Valentine's Day to baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, all mixed in with the lives of his friends (both human and canine) and strung together in a single day, from bright, uncertain morning to hopeful, starlit evening.

This family-friendly musical is a treat for all ages.

October 29th - November 7th

sponsored by WZOE Radio

Grace Performing Arts Center

by Harold Pinter

Regarded as one of Pinter's major dramatic works, Betrayal exposes different kinds of betrayal relating to a seven-year affair involving a married couple and their close friend.

Jerry and Emma carry on an affair for years without her husband, Robert's, knowledge.

But Jerry is betrayed by Emma, who admits the affair to her husband and continues the affair without telling Jerry that they had been found out.

Four years after their break up, Emma meets with Jerry to tell him that her marriage to Robert is over and only then reveals that Robert has known for the past four years about the affair.

November 12th - November 20th

(want to sponsor? your name here!)

Grace Performing Arts Center

by O Henry,
adapted by Laura Brigham

A new adaptation of O Henry's beloved short story about Jim and Della: a young couple who are very poor, but very much in love.

For Christmas, Della decides to buy Jim a chain for his prized pocket watch given to him by his father. To pay for it, she has her long hair cut off and sold to make a wig.

Meanwhile, Jim decides to sell his watch to buy Della a beautiful set of combs made out of tortoise shell for her lovely, knee-length brown hair.

Although each is disappointed to find the gift they chose rendered useless, each is pleased with the gift they received, because it represents their love for one another.

November 26th - December 19th

sponsored by Fitzgerald's Piano Lounge

Grace Performing Arts Center