The Scranton Shakespeare Festival (SSF) announces its seventh season — an ambitious program featuring two Shakespeare comedies, two musicals, a new devised work, and its annual Youth Theatre Lab piece. Audiences will have the opportunity to catch all the shows in repertory during the festival’s signature last weekend, July 27 – 29.

For its seventh year, the Scranton Shakespeare Festival will present “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” June 28 through July 1, and one last time July 27. Directed by Bobby Temple, the musical will be performed at The Marketplace at Steamtown Mall, continuing the festival’s exploration of location-specific theatre, a nod to last year’s “Damn Yankees” at PNC Field.

Randolph Curtis Rand returns to the festival to direct an abridged, four-person version of Shakespeare’s “Tempest,” double-billed with Brenna Geffers’ devised work “Sycorax,” specially commissioned by the festival and inspired by a character briefly mentioned in “Tempest.” “Tempest/Sycorax” will go on July 6 through July 8, and July 28 at Scranton Prep.

“As You Like It,” directed by festival newcomer Emma Rosa Went, will go up the following weekend, July 13 through July 15, as well as July 29, at Scranton Prep.

The festival’s second musical, “Footloose,” directed by Artistic Director Michael Bradshaw Flynn, will perform July 19 through July 22, and July 29, at Scranton Prep.

The Youth Theatre Lab is set to perform its original adaptation of “Hansel & Gretel” July 7, 14 and 21, at Scranton Prep.

As in previous years, the Scranton Shakespeare Festival continues to push boundaries and expand its reach, exploring a variety of relevant themes and echoing national conversations on challenging the status quo and the youth movement sweeping the country. The Scranton Shakespeare Festival is a not-for-profit, government recognized 501 (c)3 organization. Founded by a board of local community members and theatre professionals who hail from Northeastern Pennsylvania region, the Scranton Shakespeare Festival is now in its seventh season of professional theatre that is free to the public.

SSF is made possible by the generosity of local businesses and institutions, the support of grants of both state and national standing, the dedication of our talented company of actors and technicians reigning from

Northeast Pennsylvania, New York City, Philadelphia, and beyond, but most importantly through the patronage and donations of our community.