The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Importance of Being Earnest

“Open Letter” from Craig & Elise for Phoenix

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Phoenix Festival | Live Arts

in Nyack Returns for

2023 Fall Season!

September 22 to October 21

“World-class performances!”

– Hi! Drama

“Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is doing something wonderful in Nyack!”

– Broadway Radio

 

Hello neighbors, friends, families and Westchester arts enthusiasts.

It’s with great pleasure that we invite you to join the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble for our second annual Phoenix Festival – Live Arts in Nyack from September 22 to October 21.

The Festival offers an exciting mix of live theatre, dance and music for audiences of all interests and ages – a celebration of arts, history and local culture.

We’ll be presenting 30 performances featuring over 30 professional New York City artists on multiple stages in Nyack – our jazzy riverside village on the west bank of the Hudson, just a quick trip from the city or from Westchester across the bridge.

As one audience member described the 2022 Festival, “It’s an E-ZPass to outdoor theater heaven!”

Here are the 2023 highlights:

• Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment: A taut 90-minute, edge-of-your-seat stage version of this famous murder mystery

• The Wind in the Willows: A new interactive adaptation of the beloved novel for all ages, confirming the power of friendship and the courage to make a difference in the lives of others

• Pan American Male: A theatrical dance fable about a boy resisting the call to grow up too soon. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey’s Shawn Rawls

• Drinks With Dead Poets: UK award-winning poet, playwright, and actor Glyn Maxwell finds himself in a bar in Nyack, a village with the distinction of having the last open library in America. Maxwell, playing himself, encounters dead poets offering advice and ordering pints. Site-specific with a cash bar–an unforgettable evening

• Honduras: A deeply moving solo piece based on real life personal stories gathered from mothers and children at the US southern border in the summer of 2018

• Children’s Shakespeare Theatre: Young actors bravely present the best of the Bard in their special fall production

• Reflections from the Shallow End of the Dating Pool: Debbi Hobson’s play shines a light on the fraught and often farcical experience of mid-life dating

• Concert presented by ArtsRock, Rockland’s resource for professional arts and multi-cultural programs supporting underserved communities.

• The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s frothy, funny, forever comedy–a Festival favorite selected by NYC’s Theatrescene as “one of the top ten productions of 2022”

Venues include the tented outdoor meadow stage at Marydell Faith and Life Center, the garden at Hopper House, the Nyack Center, the ‘little theater’ at Nyack’s RCC Culinary Arts Center and a classic Nyack restaurant/bar which a century ago served as the village courthouse and jail.

The Hudson River Museum amphitheater in nearby Yonkers will host a presentation of Honduras. Plus, Nyack itself will be onstage in a free, smartphone-based augmented reality walking tour of the village.

Along the way, you may want to check out Nyack’s one-of-a-kind retail shops, top-flight restaurants, friendly pubs, live music venues and vibrant night spots – over 100 businesses packed into a walkable space of just over one square mile. If you’d like some fresh air as part of your Festival itinerary, Nyack offers outstanding outdoor activities–bicycling, hiking along the river front, boat excursions and more.

You can begin to plan your Festival experience with a special offer for Westchester audiences – discounted early bird four-ticket flexible admission passes on sale from April 25 – July 15. Call 833-681-4800.

A word about us. Founded in 2004, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble is an award-winning New York City theatre company that makes its second home in Rockland County, where we have created and performed both classics and original works since 2018.

Our mission is to present the great stories of the classical canon, as well as new adaptations and innovative stagings that speak to, and serve, contemporary audiences. We’re proud to be part of the Hudson Valley arts community, and excited about our 2023 Festival in Nyack.

Come explore, experience and enjoy the magic of world class performances in the Hudson Valley. See you at the Festival!

Live Arts in Nyack Elicits Audience Delight Over Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest

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Bucolic Setting Drew Dozens of Theatre Goers Outdoors to Enjoy the Debut Earnest Performance; three more planned!

Nyack Arts Festival Performances to follow: The Skin of Our Teeth, (Shakespeare’s) Love Labour’s Lost, Special Events, Readings, Tributes, and More!

Discover Nyack, along the way!

Phoenix Festival: Live Arts in Nyack premieres! Here from the talented ensemble: Josh Tyson, in the role of the mischievous Algernon Moncrieff charming Morgan Rosse playing the demur but delightful Cecily Cardew on the set at Marydell Faith and Life Center in Nyack, NY  Photo by Angie Gaul of Milestone Images

Just Between Us: End of summer is always bittersweet, but this year there have been sweet theatre offerings to look forward to in September and October peppered with oh so cool opportunities for some ‘get to really know Nyack’ fun. No, allow me to revise that to sweet, spicy, and spectacular offerings, by way of the acclaimed Phoenix Festival, which lest I forget to remind you, has a robust lineup of blessedly live arts/outdoor professionally executed productions in different Nyack venues, a one man show and compelling key events–each ticket an ez pass to outdoor theater heaven. And there’s still time not to miss out, so just between us again, don’t delay. With the festival’s beautiful posters in practically every shop window, it’s safe to say that this delightful group of civic minded, socially conscious people (they are the real deal–determined to make theater going possible for all), have taken Nyack by storm and added more fun to Rockland County’s jewel of a village than I can remember. I was delighted to discover, for example, as I’ve never visited either venue before, first the elegance of the historic Edward Hopper House for a pre-opening party, and this past Saturday, the long-awaited opening of The Importance of Being Earnest opening at Marydell, a spiritual retreat, as its gorgeous host location. Oscar Wilde’s classic tour de force (“a three-act farce about double lives, clandestine impropriety, and the foibles of the upper crust😊”) took place on the Center’s expansive lawn (situated opposite thick woods with hiking trails–note to self: return for hiking). The 2.5 hour show was lovingly and professionally performed under a bright blue sky and balmy temps with two brief intermissions which offered a chance to talk to other theatregoers, or simply to grab water and a snack. Lots of laughs along the way–good for the heart and soul in these trying times. For an overview and more news of the production plus highlights of ‘what’s next’ courtesy of Craig Smith, Festival Executive Director, Elise Stone, Artistic Director, and Leo Lion, Associate Artistic Director, please read on! And true to the recommendation that visitors combine theater going with village exploring, my friend and I ventured into town post performance for some excellent Thai fare at Thai House, off Main Street. After she had to get going, I continued my stroll solo down Broadway, and treated myself to a raspberry ice cream cone at Piermont Creamery. Sweet and spectacular deserved a sweet and spectacular ending! I’m looking forward to enjoying more Live Arts performances.  — Grace Bennett, Publisher & Editor, Inside Press

The first annual Phoenix Festival: Live Arts in Nyack opened on Saturday September 17 to a sold-out audience and critical acclaim.

The performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest was enthusiastically received by a packed audience and hailed by reviewers as a “very very fine production…so well done” (BroadwayRadio) and a “splendid outdoor production” (Theaterscene  https://theaterscene.org/)

The performance marked the beginning of five weekends of live theater and special events – continuing through October 16  ─ hosted by the Phoenix Theater Ensemble of New York City fame, now with roots in Nyack.

The playbill includes three more performances of Earnest, set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 23–25 ─ all outdoors at bucolic Marydell Faith and Life Center in Upper Nyack with 2 p.m. show times.

After Earnest, next up on the Marydell stage is Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, opening on Saturday, October 1 for six performances spanning the remaining weekends to the Festival close on October 16.

On the Marydell stage for October 8 and 15, audiences of all ages can enjoy Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost presented by the Children’s Shakespeare Theatre company, performed by kids and for kids ─ and, of course, for adults.

Also along the way to mid-October, the Festival will offer a hilarious Chekov one-man play in the garden at the home (now museum) of Nyack artist Edward Hopper, as well as special events at locations around Nyack village, including a song cycle premiere inspired by Hopper’s paintings, poetry readings by local writers, and film and live performance tributes to Nyack resident and “first lady of the American theater” Helen Hayes.

Photo by Angie Gaul of Milestone Images

A detailed calendar of Festival events is here: events page

For visitors interested in combining art and entertainment with an exploration of Hudson Valley culture, the Festival team has created a special program for this event – Nyack Digital Dreaming-AR Adventures, an exciting multimedia, family- and phone-friendly introduction to the village, its history, lore and legends

Digital Dreaming incorporates walking tour narratives, documentary video and augmented reality. It’s free, available every day, all day, online at Digital Dreaming: AR Adventures.

In addition to Festival activities, Nyack village offers a wealth of attractions ─ one-of-a-kind shops, world class dining, pubs, live music and a vibrant nightlife. Local businesses are inviting Festival-goers to explore the village ─ and enter their raffle for prizes valued at over $3,500.

“A big bonus for Festival goers is Nyack village itself,” said Craig Smith, Phoenix Festival Executive Director. “Nyack is the perfect anchor for this unique festival that blends classic theater, music and local history with breathtaking natural beauty in a jazzy, upbeat river town setting.”

TICKETS: Call 833-681-4800. Go to NyackArtsFestival.com 

Or go to the “At a Glance” page on the Festival events page 

TOURS: Ticket discounts for tours and groups of 10 or more are available at Tours and Group Sales. Or email info@PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org for information. 

GENERAL INFORMATION: Go to NyackArtsFestival.com , email at info@PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org or leave a message at 212-465-3446.

Also see Visit Nyack at visitnyack.org for details, and on Facebook @VisitNyack and Instagram @visitnyack