I 'The Royal Family' kicks off summer of Festival Theatre By ALAN KOLPON Collegian Staff Writer Theater-going promises to be enjoyable this summer as the Pennsylvania Festival Theatre swings into action again. ,' The Festival Theatre is celebrating its 20th (Season with the opening of “The Royal Family” on June 23, in the Pavilion Theater ‘ on campus. ' Festival Theatre began in the 19505, when its plays ran at the Mateer Playhouse, a renovated barn near. Stone Valley. One of the eight plays in- the first season was “The Royal Family,” shown in August of 1958. Director Max Fischer arranged for a "company of actors, New York professionals •and university students, to play the roles throughout the season. In the, following years, the Mateer Playhouse continually filled the house, creating a kind of family relationship be tween the acting company and the faithful audience. The old barn began to show her age 1. and soon it was evident that it would even tually be, impossible to safely present productions there. ( ( Plans were made to move to the Pavilion Theater, itself once a cattle judging arena. The 1962 summer season was the last to be performed in. the old Mateer Playhouse. Its last play of the season, “Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole,” was held over an extra week. Since then, the productions have been held on -the University Park campus. Now, in 1977, the Pennsylvania Festival 'Theatre celebrates its 20th season with the following productions: “The Royal Family,” orginally produced on ’Broadway in 1927 depicts the domestic in timacies of a family of brilliant actors. The -understanding, gentle theme of the story and witty, satiric dialogue have maintained their vigor and stature through the years. The cast for “The Royal Family” includes Jonathan Frid, best remembered for his role (as the'vampire Barnabas on the horror soap (Opera “Dark Shadows,” and Lydia Bruce of "“The Doctors” series, who is also a veteran n 1 f QUIT SMOKING | 1 I | Program ■ n Information Meeting: m ■ Monday, June 13 “ | l 7:30p.m. | l2l Noll Lab Jj MEMOREX 90-Minute Cassette r Buy tWO “ aBaBBBBnea Get one Free! msm 3 TAPES FOR MM ONLY $5.99 REGULAR $9.00 CAMPUS ESI STEREO 307 W. BEAVER from the Mateer Playhouse days. It will run from June 23rd to July 9th. “A Little Night Music” runs at the Playhouse Theater July 7th-10th, the 12th 17th, and the 19th-23rd, with a matinee on July 16th. The play involves a perpetual sunset which illuminates the follies of love on a Swedish country estate. Aristocracy and commoners make this tender story one of the American. theater’s most successful musicals. It features "a beautiful score by Stephen Sond heim. On July 21st, “The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia” will open at the Pavilion Theater. This will run from the 21st-24th, 26th-31st and August 2nd-6th, with a matinee on August 6th. “The Last Meeting” is a very funny play set in the town of Bradleyville, Texas concerning an organization which once had 2,000 members and now has seven. The West Texas dialects are superbly manipulated by Preston Jones, who has been hailed as one of America’s finest regional playwrights. The last production of the season will be a musical revue, “Gershwin Revisited.” The greatest songs of composer and lyricist George Gershwin were selected to create this dynamic and moving revue. . “Gershwin Revisited” is truly a tribute to the musical genius and magic of the ac claimed Gershwin sound. The production opens at the Playhouse on July 29th and continues through the 31st and August 2nd 6th, with a matinee on August 6th. The box office for the Festival Theatre is now open daily from 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. The box office telephone number is 865-1884. Telephone reservations are accepted for all performances except student previews. All tickets reserved by telephone must be picked up or paid for 48 hours in .advance of the performance. Tickets not picked up by that time will go on general sale. Special purchase plans at discounted rates may be arranged by calling the Festival Theatre box office. MEM . iEX' : _ ~UY TW ■ •::■•. GET NE F..EE! j Give to Hie United Ne Day Ijar s ?lC\ ► Warm- \/\/ecrther Sportshirts. 5 99 ~J^2 Lightweight Pullover Jackets! 8.99 S