Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Receives Grant To Celebrate Multiple Summer Programs

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has announced its receipt of a $25,000 grant from Air Products to support several programs this summer including its “Play On!” Community Tour, the Main Stage production of the musical The Color Purple, and the main sponsor for PSF's Community Day on July 6.

Since 1995, Air Products has been a dedicated supporter of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, sponsoring various programs including children's theatre productions, “On the Green” pre-show performances, Main Stage productions, and the annual Luminosity Gala. They've also played a significant role in notable "firsts" for the Festival, such as sponsoring the first outdoor offerings of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Charlotte's Web in 2021 at the Air Products Open Air Theatre. In 2023, Air Products partnered with Crayola to support the inaugural "Play On!" Community Tour. This year, Air Products continues its steadfast support of the tour and will be the main sponsor of Community Day on July 6. Moreover, they will Co-sponsor the musical The Color Purple and sponsor the 2024 Luminosity Gala. “We extend our deepest gratitude for their ongoing commitment to our mission and community,” says Jason King Jones Artistic Director.

As previously announced, this summer the “Play On!” Community Tour will present William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in libraries, parks, and community centers throughout the region May 31 to June 16. Patrons can attend these performances for free thanks to the Sponsors Air Products and Crayola, as well as the Co-sponsor Joanne Hartshorne.

The following locations will host the production on tour:

Friday, May 31, 12pm- ArtsWalk Pocket Park

Saturday, June 1, 12pm- National Museum of Industrial History

Sunday, June 2, 2pm- Union Terrace Amphitheatre

Tuesday, June 4, 6pm- Historic Bethlehem Museum & Sites at Burnside Plantation

Wednesday, June 5- TBD

Thursday, June 6, 6pm- Allentown Public Library

Friday, June 7, 6pm- Lower Macungie-Hills at Lockridge Park

Saturday, June 8, 11am-Easton Farmer's Market

Sunday, June 9, 5pm- DeSales University

Tuesday, June 11- TBD

Wednesday, June 12, 6pm- Bethlehem Area Public Library

Thursday, June 13, 6:30pm- Kutztown Park Bandshell

Friday, June 14, 6pm- Victory Park Amphitheater

Saturday, June 15, 3pm- Peddler's Village

Sunday, June 16, 3pm- Peddler's Village

The Festival will host its 2nd annual Community Day event on Saturday, July 6, 2024. The event will take place on the Center Valley campus of DeSales University in front of the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts. PSF's Community Day will celebrate the arts as well as the many local organizations that provide invaluable services to this community. More details will be shared in upcoming announcements, on social media, and at pashakespeare.org.

The Festival's 2024 Season Sponsors are Lee and Dolly Butz. The Associate Season Sponsors are Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth, Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan, The Szarko Family, and Harry C. Trexler Trust.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, features acclaimed actors from Broadway, television, and film, and is the summer home to over 200 artists from around the country, including winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Jefferson, and Barrymore Awards.

The 2024 Summer Season—May 29 to August 4, 2024

“Play On!” Community Tour:

May 31 to June 16
The Comedy of Errors
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Jessica Bedford

On the Main Stage:

PSF presents 1812 Productions:
The Play That Goes Wrong

May 29 to June 16  
By Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, & Jonathan Sayer 
Directed by Jennifer Childs

The Merry Wives of Windsor

June 26 to July 7
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Matt Pfeiffer

The Color Purple

July 17 to August 4
Book by Marsha Norman
Music & Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray
Directed by Amina Robinson

In the Schubert Theatre:

The Last Five Years

June 12 to June 30
Written and Composed by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Jason King Jones

Cymbeline

July 24 to August 4
By William Shakespeare
“Extreme Shakespeare”

Children's Theatre Productions:

Winnie-the-Pooh & Friends | Schubert Theatre

July 5 to August 3
Adapted by Jason King Jones | Directed by Jenna Place

Shakespeare for Kids (S4K) presents Twelfth Night | Main Stage

July 24 to August 3By
Erin Sheffield | Directed by Matt Pfeiffer

S4K Mini Tour:
Friday, July 26th at Allentown Public Library
Saturday, July 27th at Lower Macungie Library
Wednesday, July 31st at Bucks County Free Library (Quakertown Branch)
Thursday, August 1st at Hellertown Area Library

Tickets

Visit pashakespeare.org for the most current information and to sign-up to receive emails for future announcements.

Single tickets, subscriptions, and packages can be purchased online at pashakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at 610.282.WILL [9455], ext. 1, or in person at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University, in Center Valley, PA.

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