A 100-year-old church in Scranton is opening its doors this weekend to more than just its members.

SCRANTON, Pa. — One of the newest stars of this year’s Scranton Shakespeare Festival is a bit older than the rest of the cast. She just turned 100 years old, but her director gives her a glowing review. “I would say it’s strong, I would say it’s got amazing acoustics, great for sound, great for focus and storytelling,” said Michael Bradshaw Flynn, Scranton Shakespeare Festival.

That star is a new and unconventional venue. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Scranton’s Green Ridge section is hosting performances for the festival’s 15th season. That brings much more than the Bard to the Electric City each summer. 

Right now, the cast is rehearsing Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical “Carousel,” which debuts this weekend.

Scranton Shakes founding artistic director, Michael Bradshaw Flynn, says the church is as much a character in the show as any of the actors. “We’re not coming in here and trying to make this space into something it isn’t. We’re using a lot of the historic architecture to help tell the story. So, when we came in here, we had a lot of curtains strung up, and instead of taking them down, we said, wait a minute, this story takes place in coastal Maine, why don’t we use these as big sails?”

And the actors say these historic walls have been great to work with.

“Even if you are a Scranton local and have been here before, it has been transformed into a new space; it feels like you can feel the history in the walls, and I think it’s helping our storytelling,” said Madelyn Casey, “Carousel” cast member.

“How many different performances/services have taken place here. How many people have come in and out here? It’s easy to just show up and say ‘Ok, this is our space, just for us.’ But you can see on the floor how many people have come and gone. It really does matter feeling the history of the place,” said Eli Neslund, “Carousel” cast member.

Members of the church know the history very well, and while it’s not a church service, they say theatre here makes a lot of sense. 

“Having the opportunity to have the Scranton Shakes come in here and utilize this place to the fullest capacity is really helping return the place to its roots,” said Warren Shotto, Church of the Good Shepherd member.

And that deserves a round of applause. 

For more information on tickets for this year’s Scranton Shakespeare Festival, click here.