49th Shakespeare Festival to feature National Players, Nitwittany Players

National Players present A Midsummer Night's Dream

The National Players will perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (pictured) and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. In addition, they will present two acting demonstrations including “Command the Room: Movement” and “Speak the Speech: Shakespeare.” 

 

Credit: The National Players

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. — Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, will host the 49th annual Shakespeare Festival from Nov. 8 to 12, featuring public workshops, performances and exhibits from the National Players and the Nitwittany Players.

The National Players, based in Olney, Maryland, is America’s longest-running touring company. Since 1949, the company has performed in 45 states and 10 countries. The group will perform Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" and "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. In addition, they will present two acting demonstrations including “Command the Room: Movement” and “Speak the Speech: Shakespeare.”

New this year, The Nitwittany Players — a group of Penn State Fayette alumni — will perform “Classics I-Shakespeare, God, Angels and Demons Between Heaven and Hell” to close the festival.

Shakespeare exhibits will be on display in the campus library and the Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium beginning Nov. 8.

All events are free and open to the public. Reservations are suggested for performances. To register, contact Holly Humbertson at 724-430-4271 or [email protected]. COVID-19 protocols, including indoor masking, will be enforced.

Workshops (Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium):

  • “Command the Room: Movement” — Tuesday, Nov. 9, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • “Speak the Speech: Shakespeare” — Tuesday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
     

Performances: (Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium):

  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Tuesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m.
  • A Raisin in the Sun — Wednesday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.
  • Classics I-Shakespeare, God, Angels and Demons Between Heaven and Hell — Friday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.

More information, including multimedia, can be found at http://nationalplayers.org.

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