Theatre XP Announces Summer Stage Season

 

Key West’s eclectic TheatreXP has announced its program for the annual KEY WEST SUMMER STAGE, set for July 1 through July 25 in Key West. The schedule includes what many consider to be the iconic Tennessee Williams play, a new play reading, will once again feature its theatresymposium panel discussions, and will bring classic radio plays to the live stage.

 

“This will be our fifth season for Summer Stage,” said TheatreXP founder and artistic director Bob Bowersox, who with producing partner, filmmaker Quincy Perkins, founded Summer Stage in 2011. “We wanted to make sure we remained true to our reputation for power and edge on the stage. What better way to do that than with Tennessee Williams?”

 

This year, Summer Stage will feature Williams’ iconic A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, to be directed by Carole MacCartee, making her Summer Stage directorial debut. The play is considered one of the finest American stage works of the 20th Century, won its author the Pulitzer Prize, and has won dozens of major awards. It will run Wednesdays through Sundays, July 1 through July 19.

 

“One of the comments we’ve gotten over the last few years was that we didn’t run our Summer Stage plays long enough,” Bowersox said. “With only five performances apiece, each play came and went before many folks got a chance to see them. So this season we picked a great play for an extended run and will surround it with several other great shorter-run offerings.”

 

One of those offerings will be the launch of Key West Radio Theatre, where top Key West actors will recreate live on stage classic radio plays and serials from the early days of broadcasting. Planned segments include “Boston Blackie”, “The Bickersons”, “Suspense Theatre”, and one of the most famous and iconic radio dramas ever broadcast, Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds.”

 

“This has become one of the most popular theatre evenings all around the country,” Bowersox said. “Actors and sound effects people on stage, actually doing a radio broadcast of classic old scripts, old commercials included. But we spice it up a bit, too…you never know what’s going to come out of the actors’ mouths during the commercial breaks. Think ‘Noises Off’. It’s an awful lot of fun.”

 

Radio Theatre will run Wednesday through Saturday, July 22 through July 25.

 

Last year’s very popular theatresymposium panel discussions will once again be focusing on different aspects of the theatre, featuring panel discussions with top Key West theater personnel. The theatresymposium evenings will be Mondays, July 13 and 20.

 

And on Monday, July 6, Summer Stage will again be offer a staged reading of a new play in development, read by some of Key West’s best actors. Plays read the last two years have gone on to stellar productions at the Red Barn – MOMENT OF GRACE and THE POETRY OF HEARTS – both by Bowersox, who is also an accomplished playwright. This year’s offering will be Bowersox’s newest play, LIFE AND DEATH. This evening is part of the South Florida Theatre League’s statewide Summer Play Festival.

 

Both the symposium panels and the readings are free of charge. Seating will be on a first-come, first-seated basis. Reserved seat ticket prices for the plays will range from $25-$38, with Sundays being special “Service Industry Nights” at a reduced price.

 

Season Sponsors for Key West Summer Stage 2015 are Royal Furniture, Design Group Key West, The Grand Café, and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. More information can be found at keywestsummerstage.com or by calling TheatreXP at 302-540-6102.

 

 

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