Lineup Announced for the First Annual Phoenix Live Arts Festival

Three professional theater productions, a Shakespeare performance by and for kids, the premiere of a song cycle inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, prizes from 25 sponsoring businesses, and bus excursions from Manhattan are being prepared for the First Annual Phoenix Live Arts Festival (www.nyackartsfestival.com), which will be presented in and around Nyack, NY from September 16 to October 16, 2022.

The festival is organized by Phoenix Theatre Ensemble (PTE), a prestigious, award-winning not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization committed to classics and new adaptations of language-rich texts. Founded in Manhattan in 2004, the troupe moved to Nyack in 2018 and has been producing in both locations.

The presenters aspire to create an arts festival to rival the national arts festivals, celebrating classical theater, classical music and the community of Nyack. Presented during the Hudson Valley Fall Foliage season, the festival will feature immersive theater and live performance programs. These include PTE's productions of Thornton Wilder's captivating comedy "The Skin of our Teeth," Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Anton Chekhov's "The Harmfulness of Tobacco," plus performances by Nyack Children's Shakespeare Theatre and the debut of "Hopper Haiku," a cycle of songs by Ellen Mandel inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, whose primary lifetime residence was in Nyack. The plays will be staged on the beautiful grounds of the Marydell Center at the foot of Hook Mountain and the Garden of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center in downtown Nyack. Dates and details of all events of the festival are listed below.

Over 25 local businesses are participating as festival sponsors. Beside individual promotions, they are providing over $5,000 in prizes for a drawing (no purchase necessary) to be held at the end of the festival. Prizes will include dinners, merchandise and a night in a Nyack hotel.

Festival goers will be urged to try out at Nyack's many first rate restaurants and shopping boutiques, visit local businesses and enjoy the town's vibrant night-life. Covering just a little over one walkable square mile, Nyack packs in an array of first-class restaurants, one-of-a-kind shops, lively night spots, and hiking, biking and river recreation opportunities. The town is accessible to the Governor Mario Cuomo bridge pathway, with its majestic vistas of the Hudson River.

On selected dates, luxury bus transportation to the festival will be provided from Union Square, Manhattan to Nyack and back.

Roger Cohen, President, Nyack Chamber of Commerce, said "The majority of Nyack's businesses are small, individual- or family-owned operations. After tough times during the pandemic, the Festival promises to bring a welcome wave of relief. What's more, this exciting Festival puts Nyack on the map as a destination where art enthusiasts, history buffs, music lovers, shoppers and foodies can return again and again to enjoy everything Nyack has to offer."

For all tickets and further info, go to the Festival's website, https://www.nyackartsfestival.com.

Festival Executive Director and Founder is Craig Smith.