{"id":120216,"date":"2023-07-04T10:02:52","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T14:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120216"},"modified":"2023-07-04T10:02:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T14:02:52","slug":"pennsylvania-shakespeare-festival-captures-the-magic-of-william-shakespeares-the-tempest-july-12-through-august-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=120216","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Captures the Magic of William Shakespeare\u2019s The Tempest, July 12 through August 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Center Valley, PA, June 30, 2023\u2014Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) presents William Shakespeare\u2019s magical masterpiece\u00a0The Tempest.\u00a0<\/em>Directed by\u00a0Jason King Jones<\/strong>, the Festival\u2019s newly appointed Artistic Director, and starring Broadway veteran\u00a0Robert Cuccioli<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>the production previews July 12 and 13, opens Friday, July 14 and runs through August 6 on the Main Stage at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.<\/p>\n

Banished from his dukedom, Prospero magically controls an enchanted isle and its inhabitants while raising his cherished daughter Miranda. With an opportunity for vengeance, Prospero summons a tempest to shipwreck his enemies. Yet, unexpected things happen on the island when mortals and magic mix. Shakespeare\u2019s final testament to the redeeming power of love,\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>\u00a0is an enchanting spectacle for all ages.<\/p>\n

Commanding the stage and the island, in his PSF debut, is\u00a0Robert Cuccioli\u00a0<\/strong>as Prospero. Best known for his dual title roles in the musical\u00a0Jekyll & Hyde<\/em>, for which he received the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Chicago\u2019s Joseph Jefferson Awards for \u201cOutstanding Actor in a Musical,\u201d Cuccioli\u2019s additional Broadway credits include Inspector Javert in\u00a0Les Mis\u00e9rables\u00a0<\/em>and Dr. Norman Osborn\/The Green Goblin\u00a0<\/em>in\u00a0Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Off-Broadway he was seen in\u00a0And The World Goes \u2018Round\u00a0<\/em>(Outer Critics Circle Award),\u00a0Rothschild and Sons\u00a0<\/em>(Offie nomination \u2013 London),<\/em>\u00a0Bikeman: A 9\/11 Play, Snow Orchid<\/em>,\u00a0White Guy on the Bus, Caesar & Cleopatra,\u00a0<\/em>among many others; and\u00a0<\/em>most recently in\u00a0A Touch of the Poet<\/em>\u00a0at The Irish Repertory Theatre.\u00a0<\/em>His select television and film credits include\u00a0The Sinner, Elementary, White Collar, The Guiding Light,\u00a0<\/em>Woody Allen\u2019s\u00a0Celebrity,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0The Rest of Us.\u00a0<\/em>He is currently involved with the new musical\u00a0Mozart: Her Story<\/em>\u00a0now in development and recently performed the role of Malvolio in\u00a0Twelfth Night<\/em>\u00a0at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the pleasure of working with Robert over 20 years ago, and I am so excited that he\u2019s here with us for this magical production. Robert is such a force to experience on stage, and I cannot wait for our audiences to experience his incredible take on this iconic role. Additionally, I am so excited with the entire company we have assembled to tell the story,\u201d says Jason King Jones PSF artistic director and director of\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining PSF, Jones spent ten years at Maryland\u2019s Olney Theatre Center, where he served as Senior Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Director of National Players. As a freelance director, he has worked across the US, including the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. This summer Jones makes his PSF directorial debut with a cast of several new faces and many PSF favorites.<\/p>\n

Making their PSF debuts are\u00a0John Austin\u00a0<\/strong>as Ferdinand (National Players-Olney Theatre, Arena Stage, Round House, Shakespeare Theatre Company),\u00a0Sarah Gliko<\/strong>\u00a0as Ariel (founding member, Wilma HotHouse Acting Company:\u00a0The Rain Stops Falling<\/em>-Barrymore Award),\u00a0Gregory Isaac<\/strong>\u00a0as Antonio (Lantern Theater, Walnut Street Theatre, Delaware Shakespeare),\u00a0David Pica<\/strong>\u00a0as Sebastian (Arden Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, Delaware Shakespeare),\u00a0Sue Jin Song<\/strong>\u00a0as Gonzala (Off- Broadway:\u00a0The World of Extreme Happiness-<\/em>NYC premiere,\u00a0<\/em>Manhattan Theatre Club), and\u00a0Billie Wyatt<\/strong>\u00a0as Miranda (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ:\u00a0Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare Live!\u00a0<\/em>2019-2021).<\/p>\n

Joining them are returning artists with numerous PSF Shakespeare credits including\u00a0Akeem Davis<\/strong>\u00a0as Trinculo (Henry V<\/em>,\u00a0Love’s Labour’s Lost<\/em>,\u00a0Twelfth Night<\/em>,\u00a0A Midsummer Night’s Drea<\/em>m,\u00a0Much Ado About Nothing<\/em>),\u00a0Jim Helsinger\u00a0<\/strong>as Stephano (All\u2019s Well That Ends Well<\/em>,\u00a0The Merry Wives of Windsor<\/em>,\u00a0Twelfth Night<\/em>,\u00a0A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream)<\/em>,\u00a0Eric Hissom<\/strong>\u00a0as Alonso (Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, Troilus and Cressida, All\u2019s Well that Ends Well<\/em>),\u00a0Gina Lamparella\u00a0<\/strong>as Juno (onstage:\u00a0Pericles<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>; as director:\u00a0Richard II,\u00a0<\/em>and WillPower Tours),\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Christopher Patrick Mullen<\/strong>\u00a0as Caliban (Richard II, Love\u02bcs Labour\u2019s Lost, Julius Caesar, Pericles,\u00a0<\/em>and many more)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the cast are PSF Young Company actors\u00a0Megan Castellane<\/strong>\u00a0(Cera),\u00a0Johnny<\/strong>\u00a0Drumgoole<\/strong>\u00a0(Master),\u00a0Iyanu Joshuasville<\/strong>\u00a0(Boatswain & Adrian),\u00a0Nicole Lawrie<\/strong>\u00a0(Francisca), and\u00a0Gabrielle Moseley<\/strong>\u00a0(Iris).<\/p>\n

The Tempest<\/em>\u00a0will feature projections by\u00a0CJ Barnwell<\/strong>, sound by\u00a0David M. Greenberg<\/strong>, lighting by\u00a0Eric T. Haugen<\/strong>, choreography by\u00a0Gina Lamparella<\/strong>, original compositions by\u00a0Johnny Drumgoole<\/strong>, set design by\u00a0Steve TenEyck<\/strong>, and costumes by\u00a0Lisa Zinni<\/strong>. The Stage Manager is\u00a0Leslie Ann Boyden<\/strong>\u00a0and the Associate Stage Manager is\u00a0Emma D. Emde<\/strong>.\u00a0Rodrigo Hernandez Martinez<\/strong>\u00a0is the associate scenic designer and\u00a0Eli Lynn<\/strong>\u00a0is the intimacy director.<\/p>\n

Audiences can enhance the experience before every performance with live music and a variety of dining options \u201cOn the Green,\u201d and a free prologue for insights into the play held in the theatre 45 minutes prior to curtain. Other special offerings are an Opening Night post-show champagne toast with the PSF Company on Friday, July 14; a specialty dinner themed to the play with behind-the-scenes insights on Wednesday, July 19, at 5:00pm; a talk back with the actors after the show on Thursday, August 3; and an Audio Described and Open Captioned performance on Saturday, July 29, at 2:00pm.<\/p>\n

The Production Sponsor for\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0Amaranth Foundation<\/strong>, the Co-Sponsor is\u00a0Joanne Hartshorne<\/strong>, and the Actor Sponsors are\u00a0Lee and Dolly Butz<\/strong>. The 2023 Season Sponsors are\u00a0Yvonne Payne<\/strong>\u00a0and Edward Spitzer<\/strong>. The Associate Season Sponsors are\u00a0Douglas Dykhouse<\/strong>,\u00a0Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth<\/strong>,\u00a0Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E.<\/strong>\u00a0Nolan<\/strong>,\u00a0The Szarko Family<\/strong>, and\u00a0Harry C. Trexler Trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 610.282.WILL [9455] or by visiting the PSF box office at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Summer 2023 Season:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schubert Stage:\u00a0Henry IV, Part 2<\/em>\u00a0(May 31 to June 11);\u00a0James and the Giant Peach\u00a0<\/em>(July 7 to Aug 5);\u00a0Lady Day at Emerson\u2019s Bar & Grill<\/em>\u00a0(July 19 to August 6).<\/p>\n

Main Stage:\u00a0In the Heights\u00a0<\/em>(June 14 to July 2);\u00a0The Tempest<\/em>\u00a0(July 12 to August 6); Jane Austen\u2019s\u00a0Sense and Sensibility<\/em>\u00a0(July 20 to August 6);\u00a0Shakespeare for Kids<\/em>\u00a0(July 26 to August 5).<\/p>\n

Outdoor Summer Stage:\u00a0The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]<\/em>\u00a0[again]<\/em>\u00a0(June 28 to July 16).<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay On!\u201d\u00a0A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u00a0<\/em>Community Tour: (June 2 to June 18).<\/p>\n

Artistic Leadership, Cast, and Creative Bios, here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n<\/u>About Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is the only professional Equity theatre of its scope and scale within a 50-mile radius. PSF is one of only a handful of theatres on the continent producing Shakespeare, musicals, classics, and contemporary plays, all of which can normally be seen in repertory and in multiple spaces within a few visits in a single summer season. Similarly, PSF was among just a handful of theatres on the continent in recent summers to produce three Shakespeare plays in a single summer season. A patron would have to travel seven to nine hours from PSF to find a comparable range of offerings at a single theatre within a few weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

The Festival\u2019s award-winning company of many world-class artists includes Broadway, film, and television veterans, and winners and nominees of the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Jefferson, Hayes, Lortel, and Barrymore awards. A leading Shakespeare theatre with a national reputation for excellence, PSF has received coverage in\u00a0The Washington Post<\/em>,\u00a0NPR<\/em>,\u00a0American Theatre Magazine<\/em>, Playbill.com,\u00a0The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em>, and in recent seasons\u00a0The New York<\/em>\u00a0Times\u00a0<\/em>has identified PSF as one of the leading summer theatre festivals in the nation. \u201cA world-class theater experience on a par with the top Bard fests,\u201d is how one New York Drama Desk reviewer characterized PSF.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1992 and the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PSF\u2019s mission is to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate productions of classical and contemporary plays, with a core commitment to Shakespeare and other master dramatists, and through an array of education and mentorship programs. A not-for-profit theatre, PSF receives significant support from its host, DeSales University, from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Traditionally, with 150 performances over ten weeks, the Festival attracts patrons each summer from 30+ states. In 30 years, PSF has offered 200+ total productions (82 Shakespeare), and entertained 1,000,000+ patrons from 50 states, now averaging 34,000-40,000 in attendance each summer season, plus another 13,000 students each year through its WillPower Tour to schools. PSF is a multi-year recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts:\u00a0Shakespeare in<\/em>\u00a0American Communities<\/em>, and is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, and the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA). In 2013, leaders of the world\u2019s premiere Shakespeare theatres gathered at PSF as the Festival hosted the international STA Conference. The Festival\u2019s vision is for world-class theatre.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nTina Louise Slak
\nPennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
\nThe Professional Theatre at DeSales University
\n2755 Station Avenue
\nCenter Valley, PA 18034
\np: 610-282-WILL [9455]\nwww.pashakespeare.org<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Center Valley, PA, June 30, 2023\u2014Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) presents William Shakespeare\u2019s magical masterpiece\u00a0The Tempest.\u00a0Directed by\u00a0Jason King Jones, the Festival\u2019s newly appointed Artistic Director, and starring Broadway veteran\u00a0Robert Cuccioli,\u00a0the production … Continue reading Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Captures the Magic of William Shakespeare\u2019s The Tempest, July 12 through August 6<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/PSF.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120216"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/112516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}