ALCA announces expanded 2023 theatre festival

Blue Mountain Lake

— The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts has announced its newly expanded 2023 Adirondack Lakes Theatre Festival, formerly the Adirondack Lakes Summer Theatre Festival, which is adding two productions to its former threeshow lineup and will now run from June 16 through Oct. 7, with performances and theatre activities continuing into the fall and winter.

This year, the festival opens with perennial favorite “Forever Wild” at the arts center, followed by four touring productions: the romantic comedy “Southern Comforts” by Kathleen Clark; the free, outdoor Shakespeare in the Parks production, “The Tempest”; the feel-good musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”; and a world premiere of the play “The Cure” by local playwright Fred Glover.

The 2023 ALTF season is part of ALCA’s continuing return to live, in-person activity, which this year is titled “Back in Blue, Act III: The Magic Continues!”

“Forever Wild”

June 16-17

“Forever Wild,” the hilarious song and skit show produced and performed by your Adirondack neighbors, returns to the arts center with performances on Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $10 and available at the door. This production, under the direction of Karen Butters, will bring back some favorites from the past, along with some brandnew material.

“Southern Comforts”

July 7-11

The play “Southern Comforts” by Kathleen Clark is set in a sprawling New Jersey Victorian, where a taciturn Yankee widower and a vivacious grandmother from Tennessee find what they least expected — a second chance at love. Directed by Beth Glover and starring Jordan Hornstein and Natalie

Luxford, the production opens at the arts center on Friday, July 7, at 7 p.m., followed by performances at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek on Saturday, July 8, at 7 p.m., View Arts in Old Forge on Sunday, July 9, at 3 p.m., and the Tupper Lake Middle/High School auditorium on Tuesday, July 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30, $25, and $10, available on the arts center website.

“The Tempest”

July 28 - August 2

“The Tempest,” a free, outdoor show at town parks, beaches and campgrounds, is an abridged version of the Shakespeare classic by director Karen Lordi-Kirkham. Performances run from July 28 though Aug. 2, and venues will include Arrowhead Park in Inlet, Overlook Pavilion in Newcomb, Sabattis Pavilion in Long Lake, the Sunset Stage in Tupper Lake, the Speculator Pavilion in Speculator, and Prospect Point Cottages in Blue Mountain Lake.

“You’re

a Good Man, Charlie Brown”

August 4-9

The fourth production of the 2023 ALTF season is “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” a musical that, with charm, wit and heart, explores life through the eyes of Charlie Brown and his friends in the Peanuts gang. Including such songs as “Happiness”, “Suppertime” and the title song, the show will feature a cast of talented singing actors from New York City and across the North Country. Directed by George and Elizabeth Cordes, the production opens at the arts center on Friday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m., followed by performances at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m., View Arts in Old Forge on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m., the Tupper Lake Middle/High School auditorium on Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., and Indian Lake Theater on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30, $25, and $10, available on the arts center website.

“The Cure”

October 6-7

The final production of the season will be “The Cure,” a play written by Canton playwright Fred Glover and inspired by actual people and events in Saranac Lake, during the summer of 1936.

The story follows writer, Margaret, from New York City, seeking “the cure” for her case of tuberculosis at the famous Saranac Lake health resort. Her story intertwines with the life and struggles of Dr. Edward Trudeau, a driven, deeply compassionate man who devoted himself to finding a cure for the dread disease during the late 1800s. The stories of Margaret and Dr. Trudeau combine to celebrate the importance of community in healing and the many sides of the natural world while emphasizing the struggle to transcend a deadly pandemic.

“The Cure” will open at the arts center on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6 and 7, at 7 p.m., and tour to various schools and other venues through the fall and winter. Stay tuned for ticketing and other information on the arts center’s website.

The Adirondack Lakes Theatre Festival is supported by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and other sponsors, including David Myers, in memory of Anne Vaccaro and Jayson Grigsby.

The arts center is located at 3446 state Route 28 in Blue Mountain Lake. More information and tickets are available on the arts center’s website, www. AdirondackArts.org.