That's the Ticket: Small-Town Drama This Summer
Summer's here, which means lots of things, including the start of the summer theater festival season.
Recently I heard from Gary Cole, from the Theater of the American South, about his festival of new plays in Wilson, North Carolina, which ends this coming weekend, June 1. The festival, which takes place in a small town about an hour east of Raleigh and three hours inland from the Outer Banks, features productions of "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling and "Fair and Tender Ladies" by Lee Smith.
Here in Washington, we've got our Shakespeare in the park and the Fringe Festival, and up the road, New York's got its fair share of theater goings-on in the summertime. But Cole's call got me thinking about theater festivals, and about all the festivals in small towns around the U.S. where visitors can catch performances by professional actors in bucolic, small-town settings.
Here's a quick round-up of some festivals I've come across in my research:
Northern Writes: May 27-Jun 8, in Bangor, Maine, at the Penobscot Theatre Company, since 2005.
Solvang Festival: June 6-Sept. 28, in Santa Maria, Calif., on California's Central Coast, since 1971.
American Players Theater: June 7-Oct. 5, in Spring Green, Wis., since 1980.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival: June 10-Aug. 31, in Garrison, NY, since 1987.
Williamstown Theatre Festival: June 11-Aug. 24, in the town housing Williams College and nestled in the Berkshires, since 1955.
Adirondack Theatre Festival: June 18-July 19, in Glen Falls, NY, since 1995.
Contemporary American Theater Festival: July 9-Aug 3, at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Va., since 1991.
The Icicle Creek Theatre Festival: Aug. 2-8, in Leavenworth, Wash., in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, since 2007.
Deertrees Theatre Festival: Aug. 9-Sept. 2, in Harrison, Maine, in the Bridgton Lakes Region of Western Maine, since 2001.
What other small-town theater festivals are out there that I'm missing? Any gems that you recommend?
By Christina Talcott |
May 28, 2008; 12:01 PM ET
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Posted by: Beth | May 28, 2008 2:21 PM
The American Players Theater in Spring Green, WI is the best! Once we were in Middle School we were trucked out there every fall to watch Shakespeare done in the open air.
The Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, UT is also worth the drive, and very near several national parks. http://www.bard.org/
Posted by: Ann | May 28, 2008 3:02 PM
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival (misnomer; they have other plays and musicals as well) is always top-notch in Ontario:
http://www.stratford-festival.on.ca/
Buffalo's Shakespeare in the Park is also great, in a beautiful setting:
Posted by: Liz | May 28, 2008 9:20 PM
Stratford: Totally not a small town. In fact, you go about two blocks beyond the Festival Theatre and you're in a normal, everyday Canadian town full of chain restaurants, the mall, the big grocery store, etc. Exactly like where I grew up except in Canada. (and I don't wish my town on anyone - it's the suburbs without the city.)
Now, the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, that's more small-town. Completely walkable, more of an outdoorsy setting (though all three theatres are indoor theatres), and "interesting" countryside just outside of town with the vineyards. And like Stratford, the productions are all Equity, and the variety is rather similar - they talk Shaw's lifetime as the basis, so in addition to Shaw there's a lot of post-war work, too. Both festivals are Equity and have attracted interesting names for major roles some seasons.
Posted by: MB | May 29, 2008 2:24 PM
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Maybe this is because I'm a bit biased by many years of involvement, but in Parchment, MI, the Kindleberger Summer Festival of the Performing Arts (Jul 9-13) almost always puts on a good family show with a fun children's play, and it is a classic small-town festival complete with parade featuring the scouting troops and local politicians.