BOALSBURG — When the curtain rises on Nittany Theatre at the Barn’s production of Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’ on May 23, it will kick off the company’s fourth season of summer stock theater, and the 59th year of theater at the historic 1890s Boalsburg barn.
The Nittany Theatre company took over the facility in 2013 after State College Community Theatre’s departure. The building required an enormous overhaul to bring it up to code and to transform it into something that fit the new company’s vision for the space, according to producing artistic director David Saxe.
“It was quite an investment to get this going again. We worked hard, a very small group of people, and put a lot of sweat equity into it,” Saxe said.
The result is an homage to history blended with modern technology. The stage has been reconfigured from a smaller “in-the-round” configuration to a larger and more traditional proscenium setup. The theater’s 99 seats are made up of refurbished seats from Bellefonte’s Garman Opera House, the old State Theatre and the former Nittany Theatre in downtown State College. The lighting system has been replaced with state-of-the-art LED lights, and the sound system features Broadway-quality, wireless sound microphones. Industrial fans have been installed in the rafters to help with climate control.
Backstage, the history of the barn is evident, with old graffiti decorating the walls, cow stalls and a trough still remaining in the bottom level where many props are stored, and an iconic table and mirrors defining the dressing room.
“Every actor who has put on their makeup for any Barn show for nearly 60 years, they did it at this table, so we preserved it,” Saxe said. “We’re pretty proud of this place. We’re the only theater in Centre County outside of Penn State. … This is our house; this is the community’s house. And it’s been here for a long time. We’re very proud of the past.”
The upcoming season includes five comedies and one musical.
“We picked some great playwrights, the very best 20th-century comedic writers, and we brought in their very best works for this season. People are really excited about it,” Saxe said.
Saxe discussed the 2018 season’s lineup of shows:
■ Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors,’ Wednesday, May 23, through Saturday, June 2; directed by Mike Knarr
“Rumors is a farce with a cast of 10 people. The storyline is something that could happen now; it’s a story for today.”
■ Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ Wednesday, June 20, through Saturday, June 30′ directed by Saxe
“This is the No. 1 play of the 20th century, and this will be the world premiere of this version of ‘Earnest.’”
As artistic director, Saxe is obligated to write one show per year for Nittany Theatre. Under the pen name of Sterling Saxe, he rewrote this play in order to pare down the number of characters and to put it into two acts.
■ Ken Ludwig’s ‘Lend Me a Tenor,’ Wednesday, July 18, through Saturday, July 28; directed by Frank Wilson.
“This is Ken Ludwig’s very best work. It’s about the world-renowned tenor, Il Stupendo, and he comes into Cleveland to do one show for an opera house’s 10th anniversary — but he goes missing at the last minute.”
■ Ray Cooney’s ‘Funny Money,’ Wednesday, Aug. 15, through Saturday, Aug. 25; directed by Erik Johnson.
“Ray Cooney is a British author, and he is one of the best kept secrets in the United States. His work is being done all over in small theaters and it’s just unbelievably funny.”
■ Norm Foster’s ‘The Love List,’ Wednesday, Sept. 4, through Saturday, Sept. 14; directed by Laura Ann Saxe.
“Foster is the Neil Simon of Canada. … This is a three-person show. It’s about two older gentlemen, and one friend is giving the other a gift of the ideal woman for his 55th birthday. They need to come up with 10 qualities that they want in a woman, and they write them all down. Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door and the ‘ideal woman’ shows up, and the play takes off from there. … It’s hysterical.”
■ Jerry Sawyer’s ‘Arthur and Merlin,’ Wednesday, Sept. 25, through Saturday, Oct. 6
“This is a brand new show, written by (local playwright) Jerry Sawyer. It’s a musical.”
Season tickets and individual show tickets are available now on the company’s website, www.nittanytheatre.org.
