PA Shakespeare Festival is presenting a rarely-done Shakespeare play; staging a children\u2019s show that explores \u201cRomeo & Juliet\u201d and premiering a one-night performance by two veteran festival performers as the festival approaches the conclusion of its 35th summer theater series.<\/p>\n
PSF stages Shakespeare\u2019s little-known \u201cCoriolanus\u201d as its \u201cextreme Shakespeare\u201d production, July 22 to Aug. 2, Schubert Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University.<\/p>\n
PSF brings back \u201cShakespeare for Kids,\u201d July 22 to Aug. 1, Main Stage, Labuda Center and at area libraries.<\/p>\n
PSF favorites John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen perform their \u201cChip and Gus, a comedy with balls,\u201d July 26 in Schubert Theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoriolanus\u201d is the 33rd of Shakespeare\u2019s 38 plays to be produced at PSF. For festival-goers who want to see all of Shakespeare\u2019s plays, it\u2019s an opportunity to check the box of another play on their \u201cBard bucket list.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the festival\u2019s \u201cextreme Shakespeare,\u201d a play is presented as it is believed Shakespeare\u2019s company would have. Actors arrive with their lines learned, rehearse on their own without a director, choose their attire from the costume shop and open in a matter of a few days.<\/p>\n
In the play, Coriolanus (Geoffrey Kent) is a relentless warrior and a celebrated hero until pride becomes his downfall. Once the people\u2019s champion, he becomes their greatest threat when his contempt for the masses collides with the politics of power. Shakespeare\u2019s tragedy asks, \u201cWhat happens when a hero believes he\u2019s above those he serves?\u201d<\/p>\n
The cast includes Akeem Davis, Sarah Gliko, John Hedges, Elliot Jones, Mark Thomas McKenna, Katrina Clark, David Pica, Susan Riley Stevens, Greg Wood, Michael Covel, Ian Higgins, Mariana Marcel, Joanna Marie, Isabella Marin, Christian Tuffy, Sophia Twohig and Alice Zelenko.<\/p>\n
Meet the actors for an informal talk-back after the July 30 performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cEpilogues,\u201d a free discussion and behind-the-scenes look at the production, 10 a.m. Aug. 1, will allow audience members to gain deeper insight and ask questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoriolanus,\u201d 7:30 p.m. July 22, 23, 24, 30, 31; 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m. July 25, 29; 2 p.m. July 26, Aug. 1, 2; 6:30 p.m. July 28, PA Shakespeare Festival, Schubert Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley. 610-282-9455, https:\/\/pashakespeare.org\/<\/p>\n
\u201cShakespeare For Kids,\u201d written by Erin Sheffield and directed by Matt Pfeiffer, is a high-energy one-hour production designed for children ages 4 to 10 to experience Shakespeare\u2019s vibrant language and characters.<\/p>\n
Using songs, puppets and scenes from William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cRomeo & Juliet,\u201d four performers (Tyler Borneo, Mariana Marcel, Joanna Marie, Teddy Novak) give families the opportunity to introduce children to Shakespeare in a welcoming, family-friendly environment.<\/p>\n
There will be a \u201crelaxed performance,\u201d Aug. 1.<\/p>\n
Again this year, \u201cShakespeare for Kids\u201d will have free performances during a mini-tour at area libraries July 24 to July 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cShakespeare for Kids,\u201d 11 a.m. July 24, Allentown Public Library, 1210 Hamilton St., Allentown; 11 a.m. July 25, Lower Macungie Library, 3450 Brookside Road, Macungie; 10 a.m. July 26, Quakertown Univest Park, 301 W. Mill St., Quakertown; 10:30 a.m. July 29, Hellertown Library, 409 Constitution Avenue, Hellertown; 10 a.m. July 30, Bucks County Free Library, 401 Mill St., Quakertown; 10 a.m. July 22, 23, 28, 31, Aug. 1, PA Shakespeare Festival, Main Stage Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley. 610-282-9455, https:\/\/pashakespeare.org\/<\/p>\n
\u201cChip and Gus, a comedy with balls\u201d is a new work created and performed by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen.<\/p>\n
Mullen plays Chip and Ahlin plays Gus, oddball acquaintances who meet once a month in the grungy back room of an upstate New York sports bar to play ping-pong.<\/p>\n
As the balls and banter fly back and forth, they discover their lives intertwine in surprising ways. Gus, a flamboyantly stoic professor of philosophy, is a socially-inept genius spouting wit and pedantry. Chip, a goofy struggling music teacher and composer, is hanging by a thread.<\/p>\n
Their chemistry explodes in hilarious and heart-breaking revelations.<\/p>\n
The show is a winner of a Best Overall Award at the New York Fringe.<\/p>\n
Mullen and Ahlin are taking the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in August.<\/p>\n
\u201cChip and Gus, a comedy with balls,\u201d 7:30 p.m. July 26, PA Shakespeare Festival, Schubert Theatre, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley. 610-282-9455, https:\/\/pashakespeare.org\/<\/p>\n
\u201cCurtain Rises\u201d is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGeoffrey Kent (Coriolanus), \u201cCoriolanus,\u201d PA Shakespeare Festival.<\/p>\n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOFrom left: John Ahlin (Gus), Christopher Patrick Mulllen (Chip), \u201cChip and Gus, a comedy with balls,\u201d PA Shakespeare Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PA Shakespeare Festival is presenting a rarely-done Shakespeare play; staging a children\u2019s show that explores \u201cRomeo & Juliet\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-252244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}