Central PA Theatre & Dance Fest

3 days over 150 artists

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  • 2 Days to Go!

    We;re half-way through Fest and there’s still so many things to do and see! We can’t wait for you to join us – whether you want to take a workshop, come perform with us, or watch one of the many performances, there’s still so many things to do! We can’t wait to see you.

    A few notes – unfortunately, Adam Swartz Puppets workshop and show and Mr. C’s Magical Mystery Show have been cancelled for today – check the schedule page for the updates.

    While you’re checking everything out, make sure to visit the websites of our performing and educational companies!

  • 2 Days to Kick-Off!

    We’re 2 days away from kicking off the 7th Annual Central PA Theatre & Dance Fest!

    Join us in MLK Plaza, Thursday, June 20 for performance previews, crafts, and other fun activities. Pre-show begins at 5pm with performances starting at 5:30pm.

    featuring

    • Adam Swartz Puppets
    • Black Cat Belly Dance
    • Central PA Dance Workshop Children’s Ensemble
    • Class Act Productions
    • Ensemble Studio Players
    • Happy Valley Improv
    • Hometown Voices
    • Kelly Scott Studios
    • Sock & Buskin Theatre
    • Squid Ink Collective
    • Tempest Productions
    • VanDance Inc.

  • 6 Weeks til Theatre Fest!

    The countdown begins! 25 Companies, over 100 artists, and a weekend full of performances, readings, and workshops.

    Make sure to save the dates – June 20-23, 2024!

    Join our mailing list for the most-up-to-date schedule and information!

  • Learn More About the Cast of Macbeth!

    The All Souls Carnival joined the 6th Annual Central PA Theatre & Dance Fest with their production of Macbeth! To learn more about those enterprising carnivale players, access the cast program here.

     

  • Central PA Playwriting Fest Plays have gone to Committee!

    The Central PA Playwriting Competition Plays have gone to committees!
    We received 89 Shorts and 35 One-Acts. Good Luck to all the wonderful playwrights!
    In the meantime, we’re revisiting the finalists from last year’s competition in our Wednesday Night Virtual Reading Webinars – May 10 and June 14. Come join us!

  • The Play’s The Thing

    Each month, we’ll be featuring the semi-finalist plays from the 2022 Playwriting Competition. Join us in these virtual readings on the second Weds of each month, 8pm

    • April 12
    • May 10
    • June 14

    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85742799026

     

  • Congrats to the 2022 Finalists of the Central PA Playwriting Festival!

    Central PA Playwriting Competition Finalists

    One Act Finalists

    Peter Hardy, Kissing Jennifer in the Moonlight

    Emily McCain. Summertime 1953

    John Shea, Intervention

    Shorts Finalists

    Debra Cole, The Price of Freedom

    Luke Herzog, The 7th Inversion

    Guy Newsham, A Perfect Two, 10…9…8…

    Patti Veconi, Guestbook

    Julie Zaffarano, The Sign

    One-Act Semi-Finalists*

    Ronald Beaumont, Suspension of Disbelief

    John Patrick Bray, St. John of Suburbia

    Luke Herzog, The Nonsense Club, Pulling the Switch

    James Holder, Seven Dresses

    Reading Schedule for Finalists

    Sunday, Sept 26

    11:00 am            The Sign by Julie Zaffarano

    11:30 am            The Price of Freedom by Debra Cole

    Noon                  Guest Book by Patti Veconi

    12:30 pm            10, 9, 8 by Guy Newsham

    1:30 pm            Summertime 1953 by Emily McCain

    3:00 pm            Intervention by John Shea

    4:30 pm            Kissing Jennifer in the Moonlight by Peter Hardy

    6:00 pm            The 7th Inversion by Luke Herzog

    6:30 pm            A Perfect Two by Guy Newsham

    *Plays selected as semi-finalists will be read during our Fall Reading Series.

  • Come Dance With Us!

    All ages, all abilities! No Experience Needed.

    Bring your best friend, daughter, son, father, uncle, aunt – bring the whole family – and come dance with us during the 5th Annual Central PA Theatre & Dance Fest!

    Join us and learn dances such as

    • Swing Dance and Classic 60s Dances including The Madison!
    • The Charleston, The Maxixe, and the Bear!
    • And roam the Dance Floor in a Regency Style Dance as if you were a member of the cast of Bridgerton or a character from a Jane Austen novel.

    Come learn one of the dances or all of them – or somewhere in between!

    All lessons are free!

    Come join us at any or all of the Pop-Up Dance Days!

    • Wednesday, June 8 at 3:30pm and 6:30pm
    • Wednesday, June 15 at 3:30pm and 6:30pm.
    • Tuesday, June 21 at 3:30pm and 6:30pm
    • Wednesday, June 22 at 3:30pm and 6:30pm
    • Thursday, June 23 at 3:30pm and 6:30pm

    Community Room, State College Municipal Bldg

    Masks are required.

  • One book, one day, one world.

    Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” was banned by school districts once again this year. The book often lands on the top 10 Banned Books. Why? And what did Morrison have to say about banning books?

    “The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists’ questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, cancelled films — that thought is a nightmare. As though a whole universe is being described in invisible ink. Certain kinds of trauma visited on peoples are so deep, so cruel, that unlike money, unlike vengeance, even unlike justice, or rights, or the goodwill of others, only writers can translate such trauma and turn sorrow into meaning, sharpening the moral imagination.” Toni Morrison

    Join us on Saturday, June 4 at 1pm for our Virtual Marathon Banned Book Read-A-Thon. https://tinyurl.com/3kna3bck

  • It Was a Pleasure to Burn…

    Join us for our kick-off Community Marathon Read on Saturday, April 2 as we celebrate banned books and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

    We’ll begin at 1pm and continue through the book until we reach the end. Join us as a reader and/or simply listen or watch along!

    With dialogue like “the public itself stopped reading of its own accord” to “nobody listens anymore” to “no one has time anymore for anyone else,” Bradbury’s classic is relevant today. Especially as we’ve seen book burnings happen in 2022 America.

    Neil Gaiman wrote “A young reader finding this book today, or the day after tomorrow, is going to have to imagine first a past, and then a future that belongs to the past. But still, the heart of the book remains untouched, and the questions Bradbury raises remain as valid and important.”

    Come join us. http://www.tempestproductions.org   info@tempestproductions.org