WESTON, Vt. – Susanna Gellert, executive artistic director of Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, announces the 85th anniversary season of Vermont’s oldest award-winning professional theatre.
“Over the past many months, we’ve been hard at work, preparing with attention and care for the day when we can welcome you back. We have planned a season full of warmth that reminds us of the joy and inspiration of performance. The stories we’ll share center on all that we have in common and on the way that theatre brings us together, helping us to overcome our differences. Ever present is love, hope, and the healing power of art,” says Gellert.
Kicking off the season the weekend of June 26 and recurring throughout the summer, Weston presents the Celebration Series: a festival that captures Weston’s history and future in a series featuring Walker Farm Music concerts, performances, and other outdoor events under the tent on the grounds at Walker Farm.
Next is Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s “An Iliad,” a gripping adaptation of Homer’s classic. The eternal, enchanting power of storytelling comes to life through a solitary bard on a bare stage who throws us right into the midst of conflict where heroes and countries clash in a quest for power and glory. The Trojan War and the present day are set side by side as the excitement of an ancient tale is catapulted into an intimate, urgent, and spellbinding story for today. Performances run July 14 to Aug. 7.
Weston Playhouse Theatre’s Young Company is bringing a production of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’s “Seussical” to outdoor venues across the state of Vermont. Follow Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat, and more of your favorite characters into the colorful, zany world of Dr. Seuss! An afternoon of storybook fun and “all the thinks you can think” for the whole family, presented by an all-star group of actors, singers, and dancers from undergraduate training programs across the country. Performances run July 22 to Aug. 7.
Next is “Ring of Fire,” created by Richard Maltby Jr., conceived by William Meade, and featuring the music of Johnny Cash. “Ring of Fire” brings the music of Johnny Cash to life with an exhilarating story of struggle and success, recklessness and redemption, love and family. With more than two dozen classic Cash hits, including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” and “A Thing Called Love,” a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians creates a unique portrait about an American legend. Performances run Aug. 11 to Sept. 5.
Closing out the season is Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop,” a gripping fantasy about America’s shared history that imagines the final night in the life of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968. After delivering a powerful speech to the sanitation workers of Memphis, Tenn., Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel. As a storm grows outside, a mysterious hotel maid brings him a cup of coffee and a conversation that prompts him to confront his past, his legacy, and the plight and future of his people. Performances run Sept. 29 to Oct. 24.
Subscriptions go on sale starting in April and single ticket sales will be available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288 beginning June 1. Gift cards for the Weston 2021 season can be purchased online at www.westonplayhouse.org.
Weston is committed to protecting the health and safety of patrons, volunteers, staff, and artists as much as possible and is continuing to closely monitor local, state, and federal guidance to inform and implement a plan to welcome the community back to the theatre safely this summer. Recommendations to protect against Covid-19 are modified frequently, so to ensure accuracy, details about these changes will be made available to patrons at the end of May and updated throughout the summer.
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theatre and high impact events; enrich the theatre-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theatre through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a nonprofit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at www.westonplayhouse.org.