The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has announced its 2025 season.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has announced its 2025 season, featuring “Romeo & Juliet,” “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and more. But for the first time since 2001, there will be no outdoor, summertime show. (Even during the pandemic summers of 2020 and 2021, there were outdoor shows, with social distancing.)
The schedule of shows, all taking place at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre at Drew University in Madison, will be:
May 14-June 1: “The Importance of Being Earnest,” by Oscar Wilde
July 9-27: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again],” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, with new revisions by Singer and Winfield
Sept. 10-Oct. 5: “Romeo & Juliet,” by William Shakespeare
Oct. 22-Nov. 16: “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” based on Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,” adapted by David Catlin
Dec. 3-28: “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” based on the short story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, adapted by Joe Landry
In an email message to patrons, the theater’s artistic director, Brian B. Crowe, cited financial reasons for the absence of an outdoor play.
He wrote:
“I am sorry to say that we will not be presenting a production at the Greek Amphitheatre at St. Elizabeth University this year. The Outdoor Stage opened in 2002 and has since grown to be a popular summer tradition for families across the region. We’re heartbroken to have to lose the Outdoor Stage this season, but it is a sad necessity. In the last two seasons alone, we lost over a quarter of our performances due to extreme heat and rain. The reduced income did not, however, reduce our expenses. The combined increase in expenses and challenging weather conditions has made the program untenable at this time. … We are exploring alternate schedules and funding opportunities that may allow for a return in the future. In the meantime, we will continue our FREE TIX FOR KIDS program and pre-show picnicking outside the Kirby Theatre with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] in July.”
Season subscriptions and memberships are currently on sale, with “smaller and flexible discount packages” going on sale in March, and single tickets available later in the spring. Visit shakespearenj.org.
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