All the world’s a stage – and for the eighth consecutive summer, the Electric City creates the backdrop for the Scranton Shakespeare Festival.

The Scranton Shakespeare Festival began with a single performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2011 at Nay Aug Park, which garnered more than 800 audience members. Since then, Scranton Shakes has grown into a well-anticipated annual celebration of both modern and classical theater.

Michael Flynn, artistic director and co-founder of Scranton Shakes, is directing “Troilus and Cressida” this year, a play which he described as “easy-to-follow though having beautiful language, hilarious content, and being rarely done” (showtime of 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 3 at the Robert Bellarmine Theatre at Scranton Prep).

“Once we the saw a need and interest for our program, we wanted to create a theater for the people. Each year, the outreach furthers … Scranton Shakes is a dedicated, international force of company and board members dedicated to providing quality, audacious programming for an incredibly grateful, supportive, and enthusiastic audience,” said Flynn.

Returning for her second season to Scranton Shakes is director Emma Went. Reviewed as “heart-warming and deceptively simple,” Went’s production of “As You Like It” last year proves to be in stark contrast to her daunting and emotionally raw choice for this year’s adaptation of “Richard III.”

An actress turned director, Went works exclusively with both Shakespeare’s plays and modern plays.

“When I first started directing, I saw more of a separation between the Shakespeare classics and modern plays. Over time, I began to see the language as a medium – a container for personal experience and expansion of emotional dimension. The language is the event and so in many ways, classical and modern plays are the same organism,” Went stated.

Went began writing her adaptation for “Richard III” back in November of 2018. Set and costume design began in March of this year and was based upon the metaphors Went felt would create the most interesting visual space and intensify the audience’s mood.

“The most challenging aspect of directing this play was also the most rewarding part – the magnificently powerful and equally dangerous task of the material. This production ‘Richard III’ is an unflinching portrayal of the human soul, counter-weighted with fun contrast provided by women within the play,” Went stated.

What keeps Went coming back to the Scranton Shakespeare Festival is the willingness and determination of the producers, coordinators, and actors to work within limitation, but also the community’s engagement with the material, which has allowed Went to see her artistic offering as a service.

“What I love about Scranton is that there is a hunger here for good theater. This market in bigger cities is saturated, the availability taken for granted. The audience is truly happy to be there. This town is proud of the festival’s story and history, it’s an enthusiasm I can plug into,” said Went.

Showtimes for “Richard III” are July 19 and July 20 at 7:30 p.m. and July 21 and Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Royal Theater at the McDade Center at the University of Scranton.

For other plays, showtimes, and information on this year’s Scranton Shakespeare Festival, please visit the official website at www.scrantonshakes.com. All performance are free, but reservations are recommended. Inquiries can be sent to info@scrantonshakes.com.

Zachary Ty Lane and Quinn Hemphill portray Troilus and Cressida in Michael Flynn’s adaptation of the play for this year’s Scranton Shakespeare Festival.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Troilus-and-Cressida-1.jpg.optimal.jpgZachary Ty Lane and Quinn Hemphill portray Troilus and Cressida in Michael Flynn’s adaptation of the play for this year’s Scranton Shakespeare Festival.

New York City-based actor Nicholas Hiatt portrays Richard III in this year’s production of Shakespeare’s political thriller, directed by Emma Rosa Went.
https://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Richard-III-for-shakespeare-fest-1.jpg.optimal.jpgNew York City-based actor Nicholas Hiatt portrays Richard III in this year’s production of Shakespeare’s political thriller, directed by Emma Rosa Went.

By Alicia Belch

abelch@timesleader.com