Welcome to The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival’s new blog! We will be adding new posts every week featuring highlights and inside looks at our upcoming productions of Romeo & Juliet and Pericles! Season Bard Card subscriptions are on-sale now and can be purchased on-line by clicking here or by calling 215-496-8001.

This week, we’re taking a first look at the set for the season. The Festival’s Technical Director, Doug Thomas is hard at work building the multi-level set that will be the staging ground for both Romeo & Juliet and Pericles. As I type, the office is filled with the smell of fresh sawdust and the whirring scream of a table saw. Because of the intimate nature of the space and our second story position in the building, the entire staff had to pitch in to move over 200 2x4’s into the theatre! This is one of the most elaborate sets The Festival has ever created and will be built and painted before our actors arrive for first rehearsal at the end of January.

The set is an amazing design by Adam Riggar and will incorporate special lighting and wind effects. Working in repertory, it is imperative that the set design can work for both shows with minimal adjustments. In this season’s case, that means going from the streets and balconies of Verona all the way to a wind-torn galleon on the high seas of the Aegean! Here is a sneak peek at the progress so far.

Each year, The Open Door Project introduces nearly 5,000 area students to the depth and excitement of Shakespeare through residencies, live matinee performances, and master classes. The programs are a unique way for students to explore and understand their own lives while experiencing Shakespeare’s exquisite language through performance. Next week, our Education Director, Lucy Tobin will give a glimpse of the inspiring work our teaching artists are doing in classrooms throughout the region.