Festival 56
Season 2009

Show Dates and Information

Get ready to re-imagine your theatrical experience with the 6th season of Festival 56. We are offering an unprecedented ten productions this year that represent a wide range of theatrical genres and subjects; from Shakespearean histories and contemporary social drama to the greatest classic musicals of the century.

AND…

to improve your theatre-going experience, if you are a season ticket holder we are modifying your benefits to allow the flexibility of reserving your same six performances, but now you can choose from any of our nine mainstage shows (and free Shakespeare in the Park, of course!)

Season Tickets and Festival Passes go on sale
at the Festival Center on December 5th

 
Who’s On First?

by Jack Sharkey

June 26-July 2 in the Grace Theatre, 316 S. Main St.

Take a husband, wife, lover and friend, add a strange lamp, a gun and a rubber chicken to a dinner party and you have the basic idea of this nightmare comedy. Four people find themselves reliving one horrible hour over and over as themselves, as British aristocrats, as gangsters, and almost anything else you can think of. This fast-paced, clever, family fare will leave you rolling in the aisles!

 

Henry the Fourth

by William Shakespeare
edited by Eric Wegener

July 5-August 5 in Soldiers and Sailors Park

History comes to life in this new compilation of parts 1 and 2 of the Bard’s epic retelling of the reign of Henry Bolingbrook and the rise of his son, Hal, from reckless youth to formidable warrior, and his ascension to the English throne as Henry V. Filled with vivid characters from the rebellious Hotspur to the lovable rogue Sir John Falstaff and including the ferocious Battle of Shrewsbury, Shakespeare turns historical fiction into action-packed theatre

 

The Wizard of OZ

by L. Frank Baum
adapted by Frank Gabrielson

Music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Background music by Herbert Stothart

July 7-18 in the Grace Theatre, 316 S. Main St.

Hang onto your seats with this newly reimagined production of an American classic! Little Dorothy Gale of Kansas, like so many girls her age, dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Join Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they travel the universe of Dorothy's imagination, singing songs everyone knows by heart

 

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

July 10-17 at PHS Council Auditorium

This heart-wrenching comedy-drama follows the lives and friendships among six colorful and dynamic southern women of different ages and lifestyles who all frequent the same beauty parlor. In 1989, this play was made into a popular film featuring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley Maclaine and Dolly Parton.

  

The Laramie Project

by Moises Kaufman and
the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project

July 21-25 in the Grace Theatre, 316 S. Main St.

*Contains subject matter than may not be suitable for children

In November 1998, in the wake of the brutal murder of an openly gay college student that made national headlines, the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project travelled to Laramie, Wyoming, and conducted over 200 interviews of its residents. Based on these interviews, the company member’s own journal entries and published news reports, the play reflects a small, rural community’s struggle to understand an act of violence committed among them.
 


Run For Your Wife

by Ray Cooney

July 24-30 at PHS Council Auditorium

London cab driver, John Smith, has two wives, two lives and a very precise schedule for juggling them both. Trouble brews when Smith is mugged and ends up in the hospital, where both of his addresses surface, causing the police to investigate and his wives to become suspicious. In the tradition of great British farces, Ray Cooney is the unrivaled master, weaving mayhem and madness together with slamming doors and mistaken identities to create nonstop hilarity!

 

The Sound of Music

by Rodgers and Hammerstein

July 31-August 9 in the Grace Theatre, 316 S. Main St.

The final collaboration of Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world's most beloved musical. When a high-spirited postulant is dispatched to serve as governess to seven children of a widowed naval Captain, her growing rapport with the youngsters captures the heart of the stern Captain, and they marry. Upon returning from their honeymoon they discover that Austria has been invaded by the Nazis. The family's narrow escape over the mountains to Switzerland provides one of the most thrilling and inspirational finales ever presented in the theatre.

  

Same Time Next Year

by Bernard Slade

November 6-14 in the Grace Theatre

A man and woman meet by chance at a romantic inn. Although both are married to others, they find themselves the next morning questioning how this romance could have developed. They agree to meet on the same weekend each year. Over the span of 24 years, we see glimpses of their relationship and their lives away from each other, helping each other through life’s challenges and marveling at the different paths that each one takes. Winner of  the 1975 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, this work was also a feature film starring Ellen Burstyn and Alan Alda.

 

Kindertransport

by Diane Samuels

November 20-28 in the Grace Theatre

In the final months of 1939, nearly 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children escaped from Germany on trains headed for the freedom of Britain. Most never saw their parents again. This play tells the story of Evelyn, a British woman in her fifties, and Eva, the nine-year-old German child she used to be. On the 70th anniversary of this event known as the “Kindertransport”, we present this moving play based on autobiographical accounts of the children of the Kindertransport

 

There’s a Christmas Tree
in Terminal C!

by Dexter Brigham

December 4-23 in the Grace Theatre

Brought back by popular demand, this family holiday musical about a group of airline passengers who are hopelessly stuck in an airport terminal on Christmas Eve during a blackout features a wide selection of holiday favorites including “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “O Holy Night”, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and many more! Celebrate the holiday season by bringing the whole family and create a treasured holiday tradition!