In 2021, the Phoenicia Playhouse only staged productions on the porch of their historic c.1887 building due to the pandemic. When 2022 came along, the Playhouse was selling out shows to a supportive outdoor audience. Now that the 2023 summer season is upon us, the Phoenicia Playhouse has finally decided to restart their busy schedule of theater, music, and film indoors for the first time since COVID-19.
On the heels of Netflix’s wildly popular “Wednesday,” the first production slated to hit the stage this season is a musical adaptation of “The Addams Family,” directed by the Playhouse’s artistic director Ovi Vargas. In this musical comedy, the macabre Wednesday Addams falls in love with a normal man. As she tries to keep her new love a secret, family members start to find out, creating a web of lies, until they finally invite the new love interest over for dinner. What could go wrong? Find out for yourself by going to Vargas’s adaptation, opening Thursday, June 22, and running Thursdays through Sundays for three weeks, with the final show on Sunday, July 9.
Also kicking off the season is the Make-A-Play Youth Workshop. This project allows eight to 13-year-olds to hone their acting skills and showcase their learning with a final production. The workshop takes place at the playhouse from July 10 through 21, Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm. The final performance will take place on Saturday, July 22 at 11am. Stage-curious kids will also have the option to participate in the Music on the Main Stage Workshop. An outlet for nine to 13-year-olds, this program is an end-of-summer series, running from August 7 through 19, Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm. The kids’ final concert will occur Saturday, August 19 at 1pm.
Other one-off summer events include a July 22 performance by local singer Elwood, the One Act Plays by Alan Brooks on July 28 and 29, and a “Love Letters” fundraiser on August 26.
There is also a proposed capital project on the horizon. The Shandaken Theatrical Society, the nonprofit organization run by the Phoenicia Playhouse, is set to get federal grants toward their $1 million expansion project and restoration plan. This expansion will not affect the summer 2023 schedule of events.
