(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Summer Theater returns this summer with a full season of programming, including four main stage shows, a children’s show, and a series of Young Artists Workshops. This season’s main stage shows are exciting, challenging, and engaging: Metamorphoses, written by Mary Zimmerman; Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw; The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard paired with the Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang; and Eurydice, written by Sarah Ruhl. The company's newly renovated space includes improved heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, as well as a new automated winch system.
This year’s season will focus on themes of adaptation and myth, exploring how stories are retold and passed down through time. It is a season that celebrates the magic and relevance of these myths for today. This season not only shows a timelessness to problems of love and relationships, but it also explores the power of these stories to move us to the depths and peaks of human emotion, to sorrow and to laughter.
June 18-20, 25-27 at 8pm; June 20 & 21 and 27 & 28 at 2pm.
METAMORPHOSES
Based on the myths of ovid
Written and originally directed by Mary Zimmerman
Directed by Maeli Goren
Mary Zimmerman's Tony-Award nominated play brings Ovid's classic tales to life through a mixture of contemporary and ancient styles, the use of musical accompaniment, and the presence of flowing, shifting pools of water on stage. An exploration of change, rebirth, and the persistence of the human spirit, Metamorphoses takes classic stories and makes them achingly relevant to modern audiences.
July 3, 4, 8-11, and 16-18 at 8pm; July 4-5, 11-12, and 18-19 at 2pm.
Pygmalion
Written BY George Bernard Shaw
Directed by R.N. Sandberg
This timeless comedy by George Bernard Shaw is a sharply funny commentary on class, gender, and what it means to be true to yourself. Speech professor Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can transform cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle from a low-class nobody to the toast of society at an upcoming garden party. He soon realizes, however, that this feat might not be so easily accomplished; Eliza has strong opinions of her own, and she is prepared to fight Henry every step of the way on her transformation from street urchin to sophisticated duchess. The inspiration for the musical My Fair Lady, the story of Pygmalion has captivated audiences for decades.
July 23-25, 30, 31, and August 1 at 8pm; July 25-26 and August 1-2 at 2pm.
The Real Inspector Hound
Written BY Tom Stoppard
Directed by brad wilson
A hysterical parody of Agatha Christie, The Real Inspector Hound follows two second-string theater critics assigned to review a standard, melodramatic whodunit. What starts off as a typical writing assignment soon becomes anything but, as the reviewers get caught up in a mystery that curiously parallels the events they are watching unfold on stage. Written by four-time Tony-Award winning playwright Tom Stoppard, The Real Inspector Hound is a darkly comedic delight sure to appeal to fans of mystery and comedy alike.
The Actor's Nightmare
WRITTEN BY christopher durang
DIRECTED BY BRAD WILSON
A man finds himself trapped in his worst fear: being thrown on stage in a performance for which he has never rehearsed. This absurdist look at the world of theater is a delight for theater people, anxious people, and people who like to laugh.
August 6-8, 13-15 at 8pm; August 8 & 9 and 15 & 16 at 2pm.
Eurydice
written BY Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Wesley Cornwell
Award winning playwright Sarah Ruhl retells the classic Orpheus myth from the perspective of its heroine, Eurydice, in this magical and whimsical show. Lyrical and charmingly funny, Eurydice is ultimately a poignant reflection on the pain of loss and love that we all experience.
Founded in 1968 by a group of Princeton University undergraduates, Princeton Summer Theater provides an opportunity for young actors, directors, designers, and theater administrators to become part of a unique artistic community. PST offers its company an unparalleled experience: a nurturing environment that inspires artistic ingenuity and prepares creative minds to enter the professional theater world. Through our Young Artist's Workshops and Children’s Show, partnerships with area businesses and residents, and plays that span a wide range of genre and subject matter, we bring together artists and community members in a 9-week long celebration of the power of theater.
To learn more about our season and to purchase tickets and season subscriptions, please visit the PST website at www.princetonsummertheater.org.
