The October Bard Bulletin

SSF’s entry in the Scranton Fringe Festival in September reunited last season’s Othello (Jason

Nadal) and Iago (Joe McGurl) in Strange, America, an original play by Edward Precht and directed by Michael Bradshaw Flynn. Nadal, a former Army mechanic and paratrooper in Afghanistan, will next appear Nov. 9, 11 and 12 at the historical Teatro Latea in NYC in The Legend of Bass Reeves, a drama about black cowboys in which he plays gunslinger Jed Stuart..McGurl, in the meantime, will direct Scranton Shakes’ second Holiday Pantomime, Jack & the Beanstalk, for two weekends in December. Tickets have already gone on sale for this funny family show right here on the Scranton Shakes website...

Other SSF stalwarts involved with the Fringe include Conor McGuigan, who wrote and

directed Graphic Prints, and Simone Daniel who is director of Madame and Eve, which opens Oct. 5. Both of these Fringe plays were also staged at the ScrantonShakes Space at the Marketplace at Steamtown. For SSF, Simone most recently directed Rent last summer.

Staying afloat much longer than the Titanic itself (over 500 performances), the musical

parody Titanique, has announced another extension of its Off-Broadway run through June,

2024. ScrantonShakes favorites Billie Akens Tyer and Luke Antony Neville are involved in this

hilarious show….You will remember Billie as director of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown this season.

Our inimitable Kelly Jean Graham will be appearing in Company at the Milford Theatre,

Milford, PA. with shows November 10-12 and 17-19. Kelly Jean has made her mark with

SSF in the title role of Sweet Charity and as the Witch in Into the Woods, among many

other remarkable performances.

The Scranton Shakespeare Festival seated new board members at its September

reorganizational meeting. They are: Kathy Elgaway, Warren Shotto, Victoria Sook, Mike

Washo, and Dawn McGurl, who also serves as the festival’s costume director and chairs the

Special Events Committee… Warmest congratulations to Victoria and her husband who

recently welcomed a new baby boy named Robin (after Robin Goodfellow/Puck in A

Midsummer Night’s Dream!)….Congratulations, too, to new grandparents Dawn and Brian

McGurl, who are over the moon about beautiful little Abigail!

We always knew big things were ahead for SSF alum Sevon Askew, who graduated from

the University of Michigan’s theater program in May, and is already appearing in the West

Coast tour of Hadestown where he is also understudying two of the leading roles…Sevon came back to Scranton this summer to direct Othello, after impressing local audiences with his stellar performances during the 2021 season at the Scranton Iron Furnaces as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime; Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, a mechanical in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Horatio in Hamlet, and in the original play, Conversion Rate.

OCTOBER EVENTS at the Shakes Space:

First Friday, Oct. 6:

• Brandon Lam Photography: Shakespeare’s Rising Stars: Youthful Encore. From 5 to 9 p.m. stop by The Shakes Space for our October First Friday gallery from 5 to p.m. featuring Youth Ensemble photographer Brandon Lam. You can purchase prints from various productions. The exhibit will also be open Wednesday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  

• Boo Bash! Stop by for a spell at The Shakes Space from 5-7pm and wear your best costume for a Halloween First Friday including activities for children of all ages! Take a photo with Beetlejuice and Lydia, and participate in our “not sos cary” stories. Free admission, and limited pumpkins for the first 25 participants! @firstfridayscranton
  

• Madame and Eve. Stick around for the 8:30pm performance of this Scranton Fringe featured play directed by Simone Daniel. Note: This play is also being presented on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 8:30, and again on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets available on the Scranton Fringe website.

Have an item for the November Bard Bulletin? Send information to mhart@scrantonshakes.com.