PS21
Through September 11
The Chatham multi-arts center has scads of events going on besides live theater (see website for listings), but within that realm Portuguese playwright Tiago Rodrigues’s “The Beauty of Killing Fascists” (July 4-5) makes its US premiere at the facility’s open-air pavilion; Gandini Juggling stages “Smashed2” (July 12-13), which “borrows from Pina Bausch’s gestural choreography to reimagine the dark art of juggling and contemporary circus for the 21st Century”; and the New York premiere of Peruvian director Chela Ferrari’s adaptation of “Hamlet” (July 19-20) for a cast of young actors with Down syndrome will be presented.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
June 13-September 2
Established in 1987, the venerated festival returns with three inviting productions (though, interestingly, no Shakespeare): the world premiere of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” (July 26-September 1; preview June 13), a stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1926 novel of the same name; “By the Queen” (July 29-August 31; preview June 15), Whitney White’s original play based on Shakespeare’s characterizations of Queen Margaret; and “Medea: Re-Versed” (June 21-September 2; preview June 11), Louis Quintero’s fast-paced, hip-hop reimaging of the classic Euripides tragedy of family, power, and revenge rendered in battle-rap verse.
Shadowland Stages
Through October 20
The Shadowland season is reliably packed with variety when it comes to the theater’s dramatic, comedic, and musical productions. There’s an uproarious spoof of the Sherlock Holmes thriller “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (through June 16), the heartwarming romance “Dear Jack, Dear Louise” (June 21-July 7), the sing-tastic farce “Lend Me a Soprano” (July 12-August 4), the up-beat revue “Beehive: The ’60s Musical” (August 9-September 8), the new comedy “The Garbologists” (September 13-29), and the world premiere of the dramatic “The Road to Jerusalem” (October 4-20).
Great Barrington Public Theater
Through August 11
Encompassing the 300-seat McConnell Theater, intimate Liebowitz Black Box on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and the Saint James Place arts center, GBPT focuses on new plays and Western Massachusetts playwrights and performers. Its 2024 calendar has the poignant “Dog People” (through June 16), the fundraising gala “An Evening with Great Barrington Public Theater” (June 7), the Russian comedy “Survival of the Unfit” (July 6-21), and the cabaret production “Night at the Speakeasy” (July 26-August 11), which features traditional jazz and new and classic Broadway songs by up-and-coming theatrical star Janelle Farias Sando.
Powerhouse Theater
June 21-July 28
Vassar College’s Powerhouse Theater program is celebrating its 38th year with six weeks of workshop performances, play readings, and performances by its training company. One wicked satire we’re especially looking forward to is Drew Droege’s “Messy White Gays,” directed by Mike Donahue (July 19-21). The premise: Brecken and Caden have just murdered their throuple-mate and stuffed him into a Jonathan Adler credenza. Unfortunately, they’ve invited friends over for brunch. Hijinks ensue!
Other play workshops include “A Simple Herstory,” Jocelyn Kuritsky’s multi-platform audio fiction exploration of the 100-plus women who have run for President of the United States (July 5-7). “Shanghai Sonatas, is Sean Gao’s musical about the intersection of refugees in Shanghai during WWII (July 26-28). Dorie Clark’s “Absolute Zero” is a gleeful reclamation of the patriarchal and often sexist spy genre in musical form written for a cast of female, trans, and gender nonconforming performers (July 12-14). The Powerhouse Theater Training Company will perform the Bard’s “Twelfth Night” and “The Taming of the Shrew” for free outside the Preserve on the Vassar campus, alongside new works by Max Reuben and Hal Cosentino and Ellenor Riley-Condit. (July 4-27).
New York Stage and Film
July 18-August 4
This vanguard organization ensconced at Marist College has been the summer incubator for award-winning musicals like “Hamilton” and “Hadestown.” The upcoming season is dense with winners: “Jim Dale: Living with Laughter” (July 17), “Mommy: A One-Woman Cho” with Margaret Cho (July 19), Delta Rae’s “The Ninth Woman” (July 20), a workshop of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” writer Amber Ruffin’s “Bigfoot” (July 21), the dance-oriented “Game Night” (July 26-27), the moving monologue “Tulipa” (August 1), the EDM-scored “The Heart” (August 2-3), and other presentations.
Williamstown Theater Festival
July 2-August 10
A Berkshires institution for seven decades, this revered fest is known for its diverse calendar of world-premiere plays and musicals, bold revivals, and wealth of accompanying cultural events. Things start off with the musical “Dragon Mama” (July 2-14), part two of writer Sara Porkalob’s “The Dragon Cycle,” and unfolds with the musical comedy “Death, Let Me Do My Show” (July 5-14); the curated “WTF Cabaret” (July 25-August 10); “WTF is Next” (August 1-4), a mini-festival of new works; the romantic noir “Pamela Palmer” (July 23-August 10); the company’s “Fridays@3” reading series (July 12-August 2); as well as directing workshops and more.
This article appears in June 2024.
