Franklin Stage Company Announces Outdoor 2021 Summer Season

The Franklin Stage Company has announced the lineup of their 25th season, from July 4th weekend through August 29. All performances will be held on the lawn outside the theater. "We're so excited to be able to bring art and performance back to the Western Catskills, after the challenges of the past year" said Patricia Buckley, Co-Artistic Director of the theater. "We'll be performing outdoors for all of those who wish to gather again, and we've got a fantastic season lined up."

The season will open July 3rd with an opening reception for an art exhibit titled Franklin Stage Company and the Evolution of Chapel Hall, which highlights FSC's 25 years of theater production and showcases photos of historic Chapel Hall, the building in which the theater company typically presents their summer season. The exhibit, as part of FSC's In the Gallery series, is funded by the Tri-M Foundation. "We're absolutely thrilled to bring this exhibit to FSC's audience," said Co-Artistic Director Leslie Noble. "People often ask about the history of our building and the story of the theater's beginning and development. It's wonderful to have this material as a permanent exhibit for our gallery, and we're so grateful to the Tri-M Foundation for supporting us."

The first weekend of performances, July 9-11, will feature a concert by Ghanaian master drummer Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng and Cameroonian singer Gino Sitson who blend jazz, gospel, blues and traditional African polyrhythms and melodies in exciting, innovative ways. Next up July 16-18 is returning favorite, Doktor Kaboom, with his new show, Random Acts of Science. Expertly played by David Epley, Doktor Kaboom is an over-the-top German physicist with a passion for science. The performance delights children of all ages. On July 23, FSC opens A Doll's House, Part 2, a comedy that "picks up after Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play A Doll's House concludes" and tells the story of Nora, the titular character who returns home after 15 years. The play runs through August 15. On August 20-22, FSC will present a concert staging of the new opera, Libba: Here This Day. The piece tells the story of the renowned blues singer, who grew up in the segregated south, played guitar backward and upside down, and won a Grammy at 91. The final weekend of the season brings Rent Control to FSC's outdoor stage. Evan Zes portrays 25 characters in this wild-but-true tale of a struggling actor who lucks into a rent-controlled apartment in NYC and turns it into a money making Airbnb scheme, until his plan hilariously backfires, hurling him into a world of internet scammers, low-level gangsters, and revenge-seeking dupes.

To attend productions at FSC, and in order for FSC to comply with all NY State regulations for a safe reopening, show attendees must present an ID and follow all current Covid rules, which will be listed on the FSC website at www.franklinstagecompany.org.

The Franklin Stage Company season runs from July 3 through August 29 at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street in Franklin, NY. Please note all evening shows have a curtain time of 7:30 pm.Sunday shows are at 5:00 pm. A Doll's House, Part 2 will also have 3:00 pm Saturday matinees. Weather permitting. General Seating. Admission is free-suggested donation is $20 per person. For reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org or call 607-829-3700. Programming at the Franklin Stage Company is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

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