New equipment has arrived at Festival 56

PRINCETON — Festival 56 has been creating and innovating art in the Princeton and surrounding communities for 16 consecutive summers.

The 2020 season would have been the 17th summer, however, the world had other plans. Festival 56 was set to perform six incredible shows including, but not limited to, “Matilda,” “Fun Home” and its very own free Shakespeare in the Park “King Lear.”

It was a season of life, love, growing up and getting old.

Although the season could not continue on as originally scheduled, Festival 56 has other exciting news to share. It has received funding from both Church Women United and the Sun Foundation in order to produce Shakespeare in the Park, although free to patrons, not free for Festival 56.

While it is custom to use these gracious funds to help us produce these shows, this summer we appropriated them to go toward the equipment that goes into building and creating the sets patrons see and love every summer. Festival 56 operates with old equipment that has been in need of some serious updating over the past few years. This is the year those wishes finally came true.

With the funds provided, Festival 56 was able to purchase equipment such as a new Miter saw, drills, gloves, casters and various other needed equipment used daily in the scene shop each and every summer.

This was all made possible in part by a grant from both Church Women United and the Sun Foundation, a state agency, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and matching First National Bank of Lacon, Hallmark Corporate Foundation, Jim and Sue Weber for their incredible support. We also would like to thank our patrons and community for their undying support for live theater and keeping Festival 56 in operation.