Summer Stages: BWW Top Picks for West Virginia Theater - Classic and Contemporary Summer Theater Choices

From new, contemporary and controversial theater to traditional summer stock musicals to theater under the stars, you can find the show (or shows) to satisfy any summer theater cravings in various locations in West Virginia. The theater seasons and events listed are only five highlights of the many great performances and live theater seasons occurring in West Virginia this summer.

Contemporary American Theater Festival

Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV

The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) company will celebrate the 22nd season, one hundred plays performed and an eclectic mix of new and exciting plays this summer. CATF will occur at three theaters on the campus of Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, WV, presenting "newest plays in West Virginia's oldest town". Five plays will be presented in rotating repertory from July 5-28. Festival patrons would be able to see all five plays in the span of a two day visit. The 2013 season will feature three world premiere plays: A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World, Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah and H2O. A new play by Sam Shepard, Heartless, will also be performed, along with the controversial Modern Terrorism, or They Who Want to Kill Us and How We Learn to Love Them, by Jon Kern. In addition to the five plays, festival patrons can also attend free staged readings of plays in consideration for the 2014 CATF season, post-show discussions, after-show salons with the festival producing director and managing director, the popular Lunch and Art series with members of the CATF Acting Company and Breakfast with Ed, a brunch meal and discussion with festival founder and director, Ed Herendeen. For more information, please visit http://catf.org/.

West Virginia Public Theater Summer Season

Metropolitan Theater, Morgantown, WV

West Virginia Public Theater is a professional summer stock theater in Morgantown, West Virginia presenting a traditional and modern mix of musicals. The season will open with Nunsense II: The Second Coming from July 10-14, followed by the area premiere of Les Miserables from July 17-21. The Fantasticks, the classical musical, will follow from July 24-28 and the season will conclude with Happy Days: The Musical from July 31-August 4. Performances occur at the Metropolitan Theater in downtown Morgantown, West Virginia. For more information, please visit http://www.wvpublictheatre.org/.

New Voice Play Festival

Old Opera House, Charles Town, WV

Not among the usual summer stock familiar favorites, the New Voice Play Festival, founded in 2008, seeks to showcase four new, rarely or never before performed one act plays from playwrights all over the country. Playwrights may submit original works to the competition during the winter months. From a selection of hundreds, the four best plays are chosen and fully staged and performed. After the performance, audience members are asked to vote for their favorite show and the winner and runner-ups are announced after the final performance. The New Voice Play Festival runs one weekend only, June 21 and 22 at 8:00 and June 23 at 2:30 PM. For more information about the New Voice Play Festival or other upcoming performances at the Old Opera House, please visit www.oldoperahouse.org/.

Greenbrier Valley Theater Summer Season

Greenbrier Valley Theater, Lewisburg, WV

The Greenbrier Valley Theater, "The State Professional Theater of West Virginia" features a season of local historical drama and contemporary comedies and musicals for the 2013 summer season. The State Professional Theater presents live productions year-round, but features unique shows in rotating repertory during the summer months. The Greenbrier Ghost is a new musical based on the real-life murder trial of Zona Heaster, the only murder trial in United States history where the testimony of a ghost was accepted. The Greenbrier Ghost will run in rotating rep with The Greenbrier Martyr, a play based on the legend of Civil War figure David Creigh, from May 24-June 29. The summer season will also feature the modern comedy, The Foreigner from July 12- August 3 and the musical revue, Smokey Joe's Cafe from August 23-September 7. For more information, please visit http://www.gvtheatre.org/.

Theatre West Virginia

Cliffside Amphitheater, Beaver, WV

Founded in 1955, the Theatre West Virginia continues to perform musicals relevant to the culture and history of West Virginia. From June 12- August 11, four shows will run in rotating repertory. The 2013 season will feature: Hatfields and McCoys, a musical based on the real life rivalry between the Hatfield and McCoy families; Honey in the Rock, a musical based on the creation of the state of West Virginia during the Civil War; Rocket Boys, a new musical based on the life of NASA engineer Homer Hickam Jr. (as portrayed in the movie October Sky); and the classic musical, The Wizard of Oz. All performances at Theatre West Virginia occur outdoors in the beautiful Cliffside Amphitheater. For more information, please visit www.theatrewestvirginia.com.

Photo Credit: West Virginia Public Theater

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