SimonFest Theatre Celebrates 21st Season
July 6 – 29th, 2023
SimonFest Theatre Company is celebrating its 21st Season while mourning the life of a dear friend. Clarence Gilyard, star of stage and screen (best known for his role in Walker, Texas Ranger) was a long-time actor, director, and artistic executive with the company. The 2023 season will be dedicated to his artistry and memory.
The productions include Into the Woods, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Marriage is Murder and will play in Cedar City’s Heritage Center Theater from July 6 – 29. Into the Woods will then travel to the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, performing August 10 – 20.
“Clarence was the source of great laughter and inspiration and was an invaluable guide in helping us define our mission and artistic integrity,” proclaims Executive Director and Founder Richard Bugg. “We were honored to have worked with him and we hope to honor him with our productions this season.”
The designs for Into the Woods will have an Asian influence. Director Rebekah Bugg, who is half Hawaiian, has drawn upon her childhood experiences with fairytales being told to her by both her Asian and Caucasian relatives. “I heard stories of Pele the Volcano Goddess one night and Cinderella the next,” says Rebekah. “You will see a mixture of these cultures in this rather unique production of a Sondheim classic.” Into the Woods follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. It is an epic fairytale with curses, a witch, and a giant centered on wishes, family, and our choices.
Richard Bugg directs The Importance of Being Earnest which is Oscar Wilde’s most beloved and successful play. It combines a labyrinthine plot, the seemingly irresolvable narrative of a farce, and some of the most comic and wittiest lines ever written for the stage.
Emmy Award winner, Ellen Wheeler (known for her roles in Another World, and All My Children,) will direct Nick Hall’s Marriage is Murder. Says Wheeler, “The plot follows the finest tradition of…underdogs fighting against all odds to rise above — boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl, boy gets girl — rags to riches —voyage and return — overcoming the monster — rebirth; all wrapped up in a sweet comedy package.”
The SimonFest Summer Season runs July 6th through July 29th at the Heritage Center Theatre in Cedar City. For performance times and ticket information, go to SimonFest.org or call 435-267-0194.
