Lear. Cyrano. Dracula. All are literary legends that will come to life on the stages of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in 2008. The summer season includes Shakespeare’s piercing master­piece King Lear and beloved comedy Twelfth Night, as previously announced. Cyrano de Bergerac and Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker are new to the season line-up. The season also features a musical adaptation of The Jungle Book and the free outdoor Green Show. The season dates are May 31 through August 3, 2008.

“While we were very happy with the season we originally announced, which included The Fantasticks and Shakespeare Unleashed (a new play), the new season reflects some signifi­cant developments here at the Festival,” says Producing Artistic Director Patrick Mulcahy. “Our new strategic plan took its final shape at summer’s end and gave us the encour­agement to make some bold choices – choices bold enough to make attending the Festival irresistible to our patrons-in-waiting. Though our attendance is at record highs, each empty seat is a missed opportunity to serve a member of our community. So, it is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to attract those folks who are almost PSF patrons. A fascinating, magnetic choice of plays is one component of our strategy.

“Theatre is communal by nature. A full theatre vibrates differently for both the audience and the artists – and makes the entire theatrical experience more exciting and satisfying. The work itself actually gets better.” Mulcahy says. “Over the past two seasons, productions in our smaller Schubert Theatre have consistently played to 90 percent capacity or more; we want to bring our much-larger mainstage theatre up to that kind of capacity. That’s what the word ‘Festival’ means to me.”

Along with increased resources committed to targeted marketing strategies, matching play selection to the venue is a key strategy. Twelfth Night and Cyrano will run in the Main Stage Theatre, capacity 473; King Lear and Dracula will run in the 189-seat Schubert.

“Cyrano and Lear have been on our short list for years,” Mulcahy says. “Given the scale of these magnificent plays, tackling both in the same season speaks volumes about the Festival entering its full maturity.”

“In King Lear, Shakespeare’s art is at its apex, exquisitely executed, unmis­takable in its beauty,” says Producing Artistic Director Mulcahy. “It is no accident this is considered one of the greatest plays ever written.”

Opening with one of Shakespeare’s most lyrical lines—“If music be the food of love, play on”—Twelfth Night offers a vibrant counterpoint to King Lear. Mulcahy says, “Balance is a key to every suc­cessful season: this one offers romance, comedy, tragedy, and a thriller."

Sublime and poetic, the quintessential romance Cyrano de Bergerac has inspired films, ballets and operas, as well as multiple adaptations for the stage. Based on the life of a 17th century French nobleman and soldier, the play was written in 1897 and has enchanted audiences with its magnificent poetry, adventure, and romance ever since. It will be directed by associate artistic director Dennis Razze.

Adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel by Jim Helsinger—a long-time PSF direc­tor and actor—Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, is a one actor tour-de-force, winning raves for its originality and inventive theatricality, while remaining true to the core of a spellbinding story.

The previously announced plays, Shakespeare Unleashed and The Fantasticks will be back in a future season lineup. A new play by Mulcahy, Shakespeare Unleashed will be workshopped for an audience in the coming months with an anticipated open­ing in 2009.

Subscription tickets for 2008 will go on sale to members and renewing subscribers in December. Look for updates on PSF’s upcoming season on the website at www.pashakespeare.org.

The 2008 performance dates are:

Main Stage Theatre:
Twelfth Night, June 18 – July 6
Cyrano de Bergerac, July 16 – August 3

Schubert Theatre:
Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker, June 11 – 29
King Lear, July 9 – August 3
The Jungle Book, May 31 – August 2

Outdoor Stage:
The Green Show, June 11 - August 2

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the U.S. PSF is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for not-for-profit American theatres. PSF is a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association of American, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley Arts Council.

PSF is the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.