Thomas Weaver and Tara Herweg-Mann in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A splendid inventiveness and a fresh vision dominate the 2015-16 theater season in Harrisburg. And, besides the high-quality entertainment, audiences can look forward to the minor miracle of a stunning new performance space.
Gamut Theatre Group
Let’s start with a warning.
If you’re going to see “Twelfth Night,” Gamut Theatre’s initial offering of the season, and you’ve ended up on the third floor of Strawberry Square where the theater has been for years, you’d better head back down the elevator, out the door, around the corner and across the street to 15 N. 4th St., formerly The First Church of God. That’s where you’ll find Gamut’s most extraordinary achievement—its new digs.
To say that the Gamut folks are excited would be an understatement. The renovated building will house two performance venues, multiple classrooms and more than enough space for its ambitious new season of shows. William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is an appropriate first choice as Gamut enters this new phase because, according to Artistic Director Clark Nicholson, the comedy is about “honoring the past and the rebirth of the future.”
“It was also the most rained-out show when we did it at ‘Free Shakespeare in the Park,’” Nicholson recalled. “I dearly love this comedy. Now, we get to do it again.”
In January, Gamut will present “Red Velvet” by Lolita Chakrabarti, a play about the first black actor to perform many of Shakespeare’s leading characters such as King Lear, Macbeth and Shylock, followed by one weekend of public performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In March, Associate Artistic Director Thomas Weaver will take the reins of Anton Chekhov’s play-within-a-play, “The Seagull.” The mainstage season ends with “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at “Free Shakespeare in the Park.”
All season long, Gamut’s Popcorn Hat Players has fun shows for the kiddos, including unique takes on “Sleeping Beauty,” “Rumpelstiltskin” and “Robin Hood.”
Visit www.gamutplays.org or call 717-238-4111 for details and reservation information.
Open Stage of Harrisburg
Open Stage also will be bustling this season.
According to Associate Artistic Director Stuart Landon, its “Subscription Series” has been expanded to include five plays, beginning in October with “The Amish Project,” a drama that explores the Nickel Mines shooting in Lancaster County and the remarkable power of forgiveness that arose from that tragic event.
Lighter fare follows in November with “Peter, Hook & the Darlings,” with Nicholas Hughes portraying Captain Hook. Landon, who is directing this production, remarked that Open Stage’s intimate space prevents the “flying” of actors, so it’s getting inventive.
“This isn’t Mary Martin’s Peter Pan,” he explained. “We’re going to have to get creative, and audiences will love it. Puppetry and video work will create the magical creatures and power Neverland.”
In February, Open Stage will continue its presentation of August Wilson’s “Century Cycle” of plays with “Two Trains Running,” followed by Horton Foote’s “The Old Friends.” And, for the first time ever, the theater will produce a summer musical, the regional premier of “Sondheim On Sondheim” in June.
Other fare includes shows that audiences continue to clamor for year after year, including “A Christmas Carol,” “The Santaland Diaries,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” and the revival of the tuneful Court Street Cabaret.
Visit www.openstagehbg.com or call 717-232-OPEN for details and reservation information.
Theatre Harrisburg
For the 2015-16 season, Brett Bernardini takes the reins as Theatre Harrisburg’s new executive and artistic director as the theater celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Bernardini brings 20 years of theater experience to the midstate’s live theater mainstay and has experience as a director, producer, theater manager and as the founding artistic director and CEO of a theater in Norwich, Conn. He was also a theater and vocal music educator and created the Connecticut High School Music Theater Awards.
“Mr. Bernardini will be responsible for the overall operation of the theater and its artistic vision,” said long-time Executive Director Sam Kuba, who just retired.
Theatre Harrisburg’s new season of shows opens at the Krevsky Center in September with “My Way,” a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra, followed by Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” at Whitaker Center in November.
“‘White Christmas’ brings the beloved holiday movie classic to life on stage and will feature some of the most extravagant costumes and sets in recent Theatre Harrisburg history,” said Kuba.
Then it’s back to the Krevsky Center for two plays. “The Laramie Project,” a powerful theatrical piece exploring the murder of Matthew Shepard, begins Jan. 8, and “On Golden Pond,” a story of love, family and relationships, opens Feb. 12.
The theater’s season wraps up with the regional premier of the recent Broadway hit “Nice Work If You Can Get It” at Whitaker beginning April 29, and, finally, “The 39 Steps,” which opens June 16 and is described as a clever and funny twist on the classic 1935 Hitchcock film, with four actors portraying more than 150 characters.
Visit www.theatreharrisburg.com or call 717-232-5501 for details and reservation information.
The 2015-16 Theater Season
Gamut Theatre
“Twelfth Night,” Nov. 7-29
“A Popcorn Hat Christmas Carol,” Dec. 2-19
“Sleeping Beauty,” Jan. 13-30
“Red Velvet,” Jan. 23-Feb. 7
“Stone Soup,” Feb. 17-March 5
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Feb. 19-21
“The Seagull,” March 12-26
“Snow White,” April 8-10
“Rumpelstiltskin,” April 13-30
“Robin Hood,” May 11-26
“The Merry Wives of Windsor,” June 3-18
“Wonder Tales from Around the World,” June 8-18
“Cinderella,” July 13-Aug. 20
“As She Likes It,” Aug. 12-21
Open Stage of Harrisburg
“The Amish Project,” Oct. 2-18
“Peter, Hook & the Darlings,” Nov. 27-Dec. 13
“A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 13
“The Santaland Diaries,” Dec. 17-23
“Court Street Cabaret,” Jan. 15-16
“Two Trains Running,” Feb. 5-21
“The Diary of Anne Frank,” March 8-12
“The Old Friends,” April 14-May 1
“Narnia, a Musical,” May 12-15
“Sondheim on Sondheim,” June 10-26
Theatre Harrisburg
“My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra,” Sept. 11-20
“Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” Nov. 6-22
“The Laramie Project,” Jan. 8-17
“On Golden Pond,” Feb. 12-28
“Nice Work If You Can Get It,” April 29-May 14
“The 39 Steps,” June 16-26
