The Illustrious Theatre celebrates fifth season, starting in February

Warwick — The Illustrious Theatre Company, in residence at the Warwick Valley Winery in Warwick, has announced its fifth season, which will run February through July. The company, best known for its outdoor Shakespeare series, “Shakespeare in the Orchard,” enjoyed a busy and memorable season last year, highlighted by the surprise appearance of renowned playwright and author Ira Levin at their production of his play, “Veronica’s Room.” The season finished with a very successful outdoor production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Upon reflecting on the past season, Artistic Director Mary Clifford stated, “in addition to the great audiences and wonderful talent we enjoyed last season, the company was also overwhelmed by the support we received from the community, including numerous individuals and businesses, and especially from Provident Bank, the Orange County Office of Tourism, the town and village of Warwick, and the Railroad Ave. merchants. And of course, the Warwick Valley Winery!” The company’s 2007 season will also feature the winery’s new café, “Pané,” offering an expanded menu from its new kitchen, as well as an enlarged tasting room and performance space. The company will kick off its fifth year with Neil Simon’s comedy, “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” scheduled for performances at the winery on the weekends of Feb. 23 through March 4. The show will then travel to the TriState Actor’s Theater, in Sussex, for two performances on March 9 and 10 as part of the on-going collaboration between the two companies. The ITC’s second annual fund-raising gala, titled “A Broadway Revel,” will be held on March 31. This year’s theme brings Broadway and Shakespeare together, featuring a full evening of Broadway’s favorite songs performed by members of the ITC company, as well as a full-course feast reflecting the theme of the evening. The guest of honor this year will be George Laurence, owner of Eclectic Antiques in Warwick. All proceeds from the event support “Shakespeare in the Orchard.” J.B. Priestley’s “An Inspector Calls” will be next up, running the weekends of April 27-29 and May 4-6. This ‘who-done-it’ mystery was a winner of 19 major theatre awards in Britain in 1945. Priestley also used the play to convey his socialist beliefs regarding the need of individuals and society as a whole to take responsibility for their actions. Next summer’s “Shakespeare in the Orchard” will present the comedy “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” at the winery’s outdoor “orchard theatre” July 13 to 29, on weekends. In this comedy, in which Shakespeare incorporates many of his favorite conventions such as women disguised as men, banishment, elopement of lovers, and betrayal, the major theme is the contest between friendship and love: that is, the question of whether the relationship between two male friends is more important than that between lovers. The ITC is always seeking new talent, including actors, directors, stage managers, and all forms of technical assistance. For more information and/or to be added to the ITC’s mailing list, contact Mary Clifford at 973-764-4936 or via e-mail at theitc@warwick.net. Additional information can be found at www.theillustrioustheatre.org.