The August Bard Bulletin

It is very hard to believe that we have moved from announcing the line-up for Scranton Shakespeare Festival’s 2024 summer season to reminiscing about what a great season it was!

It is the fastest six weeks of the year for everyone involved, and well worth all of the effort.

Starting with the Youth Ensemble under the direction of SSF education  Lizzie Newcomb Gumula, high school students from all around NEPA took on another play by the Bard to open our season with “The Tempest” and later they closed our season out with an amazing production of “Into the Woods.” A phenomenal addition this year was the Youth Orchestra featuring Julie Dzikowski as lead teaching artist. These middle school and high school musicians added a special component to the musicals.

I am continually stunned by what these teenagers achieve in their interpretations of Shakespearean plays, and now they have tackled the notoriously challenging Stephen Sondheim–and won! Congratulations to everyone involved–I cannot possibly name all the students in this large cast, but they all deserve a standing ovation!

Karla Joan Rivera as Mama Rose in Gypsy

Professional mainstage performances kicked off with the classic Broadway musical “Gypsy” directed by Michael Bradshaw Flynn with Karla Joan Rivera brilliantly taking on the powerful role of Mama Rose, and Sarah Pugliese portraying young Louise and her grown-up persona of Gypsy Rose Lee. Nadja Tomaszewski played June, Matthew Harmon was Herbie, and the sensational stripper trio of Mazeppa, Electra, and Tessie Tura were played by Kelly Jean Graham, LaToya Martin, and Isabella Rose Snyder to the audiences’ delight. Stephen Murphy served as music director for “Gypsy” (and also “Next to Normal” and “Into the Woods”)  and Matthew Lynady was choreographer for “Gypsy.”

Sam Morales directed “The Winter’s Tale” with Matthew Harmon as Leonates; Maura Malloy Hammond as Dorcus/Pauline; Lydia Stinson as Perdita/Emilia, and Haley Glickman as Hermione/Mopsa. Stephen Murphy served as music director and Matthew Lynady was choreographer for this production.

Our second mainstage Shakespeare drama was the gory Game of Thrones-like “Titus Andronicus,” also directed by Michael Bradshaw Flynn and with Scranton’s own Conor McGuigan winning raves in the title role. Among those also featured were Joe McGurl, Sean Massey, Simon Elliott, and Dominic Carroll. 

SSF’s second musical was the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Next to Normal” featuring a rock score by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. Directed and choreographed by Victoria Rae Sook, the superb cast included Nadja Tomasewski as Diana; Jeremy Kemmerer as Dan; Annika Burley as Natalie, Simon Elliott as Gabe; Joseph McGurl as Doctor Fine/Madden, and Sage Newman as Henry.

The cast of Next to Normal

Kudos go to the offstage unsung heroes such as: Stage managers and assistants Spencer Shotto, Elizabeth Tweel, Liz Donovan, Miranda Sage Rhode, Oliver Conmy, Catarina Medeiros, and Michele Correggio; choreographer Kelly Jean Graham, costume designers Dawn McGurl, Melissa Danielle Duricko, and Naomi Springer; set designer Alex Pio; lighting designer Kayleigh Bergold, and sound designer Tiffany Lee. 

These professionals were assisted this season by the following Youth Ensemble members and other students in various capacities: Elaine Tirado-Fernandez, John Quick, John Roman Vachino, Dane Huggler, Anne Doherty, Gianna Evans, David Getz, Ryan Repecki, and Ana Butovich. Keep in mind that each and every one of these outstanding productions were offered free to the public at the Shakes Space at the Marketplace at Steamtown.

Stay-tuned for announcements for new productions in the ShakesSpace, including our December 2024 Panto “Cinderella,” for which tickets are already available online at scrantonshakes.com. ShakesSpace will also host First Friday art exhibits, chair yoga, holiday wreath-making sessions, and play host to the Scranton Musical Festival, Scranton Fringe Festival, and Scranton Improv & Comedy performances and free Noontime Concerts….

SSF actors and staff who have been busy elsewhere include: 

• Jamary Gil Kenricks, an alumna and former soloist at Ballet Theatre of Scranton, is making her Broadway debut in “Back to the Future”! Jamary previously appeared in the national tours of “Beautiful, the Carole King Musical” and “Mean Girls.” Joanne Arduino of BTOS tells us Jamary is also mom to a beautiful baby girl.  

• Tierney Violet Joyce who spent two weeks at Penn State University participating in Summer Theatrical Artistic Training Experience (S.T.A.T.E) as one of 36 students around the country who descended upon University Park to immerse in singing, dancing, and acting training for 12 hours a day. Upon her return from State College, Tierney immediately dove into the role of The Witch in SSF’s production of “Into the Woods”...

• Henry Howland is playing LeFou in “Beauty and the Beast” at Cortland Repertory Theatre through August 17. He was last year’s Charlie Brown at SSF…

• Nicole Weitzman is portraying Sister Sophia in “The Sound of Music” at Theater By the Sea through August 17…

• Billie Aken Tyers directed the play “3 Hams,” which is featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer…

• Gianna Porfano, who came to the ShakesSpace this summer to serve as a teaching artist for the Youth Ensemble, is starring in the lead of “Always…Patsy Cline” at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in New Jersey, where shows are selling out....By the way, our other teaching assistants this season were Simone Daniel, Stephen Murphy, Kelly Jean Graham, Lydia Stinson, and Julie Dzikowski….

• Brian McGurl, SSF’s space liaison and all-around helper, is to be congratulated for the very successful Bucktown Music Festival which is drawing great musicians and crowds this summer. Like SSF, this endeavor is free to the public!

• Congratulations to newly-married Joseph Daniel, who has worked with many SSF shows, and soon-to-be married Isabella Rose Snyder who ties the knot this month….

Note: If you have something to contribute to the Bard Bulletin, please send items/photos to Maureen Hart at mhart@scrantonshakes.com.