FRANKLIN — The Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County’s classical summer theater, announced their 30th anniversary season from July 3 through Aug. 23.
“What a milestone—we’re thrilled to have reached 30 years of admission-free performance and our season this year is amazing!” Patricia Buckley, artistic director, said in a news release. “We’ll be producing a classic play, our 2nd world premiere, an amazing solo show, and a wonderful dance company. We’re so excited to bring it to the region.”
According to the release, FSC at Chapel Hall at 25 Institute St. in Franklin, will open its regular performance season July 3 with the classic play, “Much Ado About Nothing,” Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy of sparkling wit, deception and desire. As gossip and misunderstandings swirl, two couples navigate pride, rumor and the messy road to happiness. “Much Ado About Nothing” runs July 3 to July 19 with five shows per week.
Next, July 24–26, FSC presents Hend Ayoub’s solo show, “HOME? A Palestinian Woman’s Search for Life, Liberty and Happiness.” The piece blends masterful storytelling, humor and movement to explore the search for home amid borders, history and memory.
The following weekend, July 31–Aug. 2, brings Dual Rivet Dance Company whose performances balance power and fragility, speed and stillness, inviting audiences into immersive worlds.
FSC’s final production of the season is the theater’s second world premiere—a new play from Kyle Bass, author of “Possessing Harriet” and “Toliver & Wakeman,” plays previously produced by FSC. His new play, “The Civilities,” is set in upstate NY in 1936, the 75th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, and explores the relationship of a young black graduate student at Cornell University and a Confederate veteran and poet, living in the North.
Franklin Stage Company’s evening shows have a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 5 p.m. “Much Ado About Nothing” and “The Civilities” will also have 3 p.m. Saturday matinees. General Seating. Admission is free for all events. Suggested donation for regular FSC shows is $25 per person. For reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org.
Franklin Stage Company’s dual mission is to produce professional, admission-free theater that brings together audiences and artists to create community and celebrate the enduring power of stories; and to ensure the preservation of Chapel Hall, its historic home, as both an architectural treasure and a center of community activity.