Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF), in partnership with Philadelphia’s Theatre Horizon, presents Penelope—a fiercely original musical that finally gives voice to one of history’s most enduring—and long-silenced—women. This one-woman tour de force reimagines Homer’s epic with a soulful score, razor-sharp storytelling, and an onstage band serving as her modern Greek chorus. No longer a footnote in her husband’s saga, Penelope takes the mic—drink in hand—to reclaim her story in an electrifying solo cabaret.

Inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey, Penelope—featuring music, lyrics, and a book by Alex Bechtel, co-written with Grace McLean and Eva Steinmetz—was recently named a Barrymore Recommended production. It previews May 28–29, opens May 30, and runs through June 8 in the Schubert Theatre at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University.

Created by five-time Barrymore Award-winning composer, actor, writer, director, teaching artist, and multi-instrumentalist Alex Bechtel, Penelope has captivated audiences from concert stages to full productions—including acclaimed performances at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theatre in Washington, DC, and Philadelphia’s Theatre Horizon.

According to Bechtel, “Penelope is a musical love letter to all those who wait—for someone they love, for something to believe in, and for the hope that the waiting will end well.”

Rachel Camp reprises her performance as Penelope, returning to the role after its celebrated run at Theatre Horizon. She is joined by Eva Steinmetz (co-author), who returns as director. Camp’s select regional credits include Ragtime (Arden Theatre), Into the Woods (Theatre Horizon, Barrymore Award), and productions at the Walnut Street Theatre.

A live band serves as a modern Greek chorus with Music Director Justin Yoder, also on cello, conducting the ensemble featuring Garrett Davis (percussion), Nicole Fassold-Harabaruaru (viola), Jamison Forman (piano), and Rachel Massey (violin).

If You Go

Penelope previews May 28-29, with the official opening on May 30, and runs through June 8 in the Schubert Theatre at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts (Center Valley, PA).  Get tickets at pashakespeare.org; by calling 610.282.WILL [9455]; or in person at the box office.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) is thrilled to announce the return of its free “Play On!” Community Tour, bringing Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing to libraries, parks, and community centers across the region. From May 30 through June 15, this lively, accessible production—generously sponsored by Air Products—will delight audiences of all ages in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

A whirlwind of wit, romance, and mischief, Much Ado About Nothing pits the quick-witted Beatrice and Benedick in a battle of sly denial, even as their spark ignites. Meanwhile, the young lovers Claudio and Hero navigate deception, betrayal, and the power of forgiveness. Filled with hilarious mix-ups, bumbling detectives, and a celebration of love, Shakespeare’s timeless comedy proves that laughter—and love—can conquer all.

The tour kicks off at the Emmaus Public Library on Friday, May 30, at 3 PM, with free performances at venues across the region. Highlights include:

• May 31, 11 AM: National Museum of Industrial History
• June 6, 3PM: Allentown Public Library
• June 8, 2 PM: ArtsQuest Levitt Pavilion
• June 14 & 15, 3 PM: Peddler’s Village
• June 28, 12PM: Encore performance—PSF’s Community Day at DeSales University

(Full schedule can be viewed here.)

This June, InterAct Theatre Company and Theatre in the X proudly present the world premiere of ON MY DEEN, an evocative and intimate new play written by Antu Yacob and directed by Amina Robinson in collaboration with Philadelphia’s Black Muslim community.

West Philly. Spring 1962. Faye Ann (Satchel Williams) has just joined the Nation of Islam, setting her life on a whole new path. Her best friend, Michael (Travoye Joyner), would like to be a lot more than friends, but the two can’t seem to agree on religion, politics, or even what makes a good pie. Over the passing decades, personal circumstances and cultural upheavals bring Faye Ann and Michael together as much as they keep them apart. Can these would-be lovers find each other while seeking their own paths to peace?

Performances of ON MY DEEN will take place at the Proscenium Theatre at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street, from June 6 – 28, 2025

Saturday performances of ON MY DEEN will be held at 10am & 3pm in observance of prayer. Tickets are available at https://www.interacttheatre.org/on-my-deen.

Inis Nua Theatre Company will present Kieran Hurley & Gary McNair’s “Square Go!”  a raucous and tender comedy featuring the talents of Philadelphia performers Tyler Elliott and Owen Corey. Performances at the Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake.

If you go:

The Barn Playhouse is at 1700 Christopher Lane, Jeffersonville

Performances :

Tickets: $24, with a $2 discount for seniors/students

Philadelphia-based and worker-owned Obvious Agency premieres its newest production, Space Opera, a “playable theater” and sci-fi/fantasy game for building empowered community. The groundbreaking interactive theatrical experience blending immersive role-playing, live performance, and collaborative storytelling debuts to audiences and participants Saturday, June 14 and  continues on Saturday, June 21 and Saturday, June 28 at Arch Street Meeting House (320 Arch St,  Philadelphia). 

 Space  Opera is not just a show—it’s a living, evolving universe where participants play an active role in shaping the story and collaborate with game masters and performer/facilitators in a unique combination of gameplay and theatricality. Participants develop relationships with fellow players and performers as they join forces to determine the fate of the universe, which carries over into each weekend of play. 

Drawing from traditions of both tabletop role-playing games and theater, Space Opera participants will craft the story of fictional societies attempting to survive an oncoming cataclysm over multiple days. 

The result is a dynamic, ever-evolving narrative that changes with every performance, reflecting the unique imprint of each player group. The story is non-linear, meaning no two performances are the same. Decisions made in one session will ripple through the following weekends, creating an  interconnected narrative across multiple performances. Players are encouraged to attend for all three weekends to see how their choices have shaped the world—or take on a new role entirely.

The Space Opera world premiere in June follows a series of playtests conducted over the last two years. Unlike a piece of theater that might undergo workshops or previews, Space Opera is an interactive game that requires frequent playtesting. The feedback from play testers help create a better, more accessible game. 

Space Opera has openings for a total of 40 players and 100 observers for each session, which begin at noon and end at 7 p.m. and includes a catered meal. 

Obvious Agency’s interactive live performances blur the lines between audience and performer, theater  and game. The cooperative partners with cultural institutions and universities to attract new audiences  and create unique ways for their existing audience to engage more deeply in the work that they are  already doing, and shares their wisdom on democratic practice across the arts ecosystem. 

If You Go

Tickets to participate in all three weeks of the Three Episode Saga of Space Opera are $360 with a  minimum of $90, all on a sliding scale. It includes three full-day sessions of Space Opera gameplay and three catered meals.

One Episode Experience tickets for a session are a minimum of $50 based on a sliding scale and includes one full-day session of Space Opera gameplay and a catered meal.

Galactic  Witness or Slot-based Observer tickets are a minimum of $15 based on a sliding scale. It includes  entrance to Space Opera as an observer for two-hour sessions. All participants must be masked. Covid  tests are provided. 

Information and tickets are available online. 

Colonial Playhouse presents the 23rd Annual Colonial Quickies Short Play Festival

This year’s lineup:

The Devil and the DMV by Nora Louise Syran

The Jar by Julie Zaffarano

The Friendship Dynamic by Alex Dremann

Planned Spontaneity by Hilary Bluestein-Lyons

Up on the Roof by Mark Harvey Levine

The Pity Mourner by Paul Donnelly

C.O.C.K. Therapy* by Mike Byham * (Children of Captain Kirk)

Sicko by Rob Carroll

Ticket link:  23rd Annual Colonial Quickies – Colonial Playhouse

Beginning June 10, the Philadelphia-based theater company The Wilma Theater, recipient of the 2024 Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre, presents the regional premiere of A Summer Day by Nobel Prize-winning  playwright Jon Fosse, translated by Sarah Cameron Sunde.

Directed by inventive Co-Artistic Director  Yury Urnov, the whimsical production weaves together mystery and magical realism as a woman investigates one day from her past, obsessively trying to understand what went wrong. The cast features Wilma HotHouse Acting Company members Krista Apple, Campbell O’Hare, Melanye Finister, Brett Ashley Robinson, and Ross Beschler, with Philadelphia-based actor Jaime Maseda. The regional  premiere of A Summer Day runs from June 10 to 29, with 21 performances presented in the Wilma’s  300-seat theater.  

Fosse is a Norwegian author and playwright who is one of the most internationally performed contemporary playwrights. While his plays have been presented on over a thousand stages worldwide, Fosse’s work is rarely  produced in the United States.  A Summer Day had only been presented once before in an Off-Broadway production at Cherry Lane Theatre in 2012, with film actress Karen Allen starring in the lead role.  

Fosse knows  how to keep you on the edge of your seat. He mixes genres like no one else. The play is simultaneously a suspenseful investigation story, an emotional drama, a piece of theater, poetry, and philosophy. – Wilma Co-Artistic Director Yury Urnov, who directs the upcoming regional premiere production of A Summer  Day.  

If You Go

• Previews from Tuesday, June 10, to Thursday, June 12.
• Invite-only performance on Friday, June 13, at 7 p.m.
• Runs through Sunday, June 29 at 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
• Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at www.wilmatheater.org or by calling the box office at 215-546-7824. 
• A Summer Day has an estimated 80-minute runtime with no intermission. The production is recommended for audiences 13 years or older.