Added on 05/22/2018  NEPA Scene Staff  F.M. Kirby Center , Wilkes-Barre

F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre announces 2018-2019 season with nearly 50 events

From a press release:

Today, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts announced the lineup for its 32nd season as the premier performing arts center in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Always “At the Heart of the Arts and Entertainment,” the Kirby Center’s 2018-2019 season once again delivers a group of diverse and exciting performances that include the award-winning musical “Something Rotten!,” two nights of “Kinky Boots,” baseball’s hit king with “An Evening with Pete Rose Live,” “America’s Got Talent’s” shadow dance company Catapult, a magical holiday with “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and much more.

Perhaps most importantly, the Kirby Center’s new season will feature four free, sensory-friendly performances of “Freckleface Strawberry: The Musical,” produced in partnership with King’s College. “Freckleface Strawberry,” based on the beloved New York Times bestselling book by celebrated actress Julianne Moore, is a fun and touching family musical.

Sensory-friendly theatre is performed in a friendly, supportive environment for families and friends with children or adults who are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or other sensitivity issues.

“Accessibility to the arts has always been a key component to our mission, and these performances are taking that accessibility to an important new level,” said Will Beekman, executive director of the F.M. Kirby Center.

Thanks to generous underwriting by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, tickets for the Kirby Center’s Signature Series will once again cost just $10 per seat. The 2018-2019 Signature Series includes performances by The Improvised Shakespeare Company, Catapult, and Aquila Theatre’s production of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”

Further highlighting the importance of its mission, the Kirby Center will offer its Young People Theater Series free of charge for the fourth consecutive season. Over the past three seasons, more than 22,000 elementary school students have experienced live theatre as a result of this important component of the venue’s Arts in Education program.

Of course, the new season would not be complete without the W. Curtis Montz Film Series, which features eight films to be screened in August and September, with three additional films in October to be announced later this summer.

This is all in addition to previously announced events, which are posted regularly on NEPA Scene.

Individual tickets for the 2018-2019 season go on sale on Friday, June 15 at 10 a.m., but Kirby Members can purchase their seats beginning Tuesday, June 5 at 10 a.m. As always, pre-sale tickets will be available at the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) or by calling 570-826-1100.

To become a member of the F.M. Kirby Center, visit kirbycenter.org or call 570-823-4599, ext. 225 during normal business hours.

The current 2018-2019 season schedule is listed below, with more performances to be added throughout the year.

F.M. Kirby Center 2018-2019 season schedule:

• Freckleface Strawberry: The Musical – Friday-Sunday, July 20-22
• Dion – Friday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.
• Yanni – Tuesday, July 31, 7 p.m.
• Blues Traveler – Wednesday, Aug. 1, 8 p.m.
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Beth Hart – Thursday, Aug. 2, 7:30 p.m.
• Foghat and Savoy Brown – Saturday, Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m.
• Sebastian Maniscalco – Friday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.
• An Evening with Pete Rose Live – Saturday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.
• We the People – Thursday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – Thursday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
• Catapult – Friday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
• Rock of Ages – Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 16-17, 7:30 p.m.
• The Improvised Shakespeare Company – Friday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.
• Staylin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees – Friday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.
• Something Rotten! – Sunday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m.
• The Fast Lane: A Tribute to the Eagles – Saturday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
• Kansas – Friday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.
• A Charlie Brown Christmas – Wednesday, Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m.
• Charlotte’s Web – Thursday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m.
• Femmes of Rock – Wednesday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.
• Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker – Friday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m.
• A Magical Cirque Christmas – Thursday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.
• Freedom Train – Monday, Jan. 28, 10 a.m.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder – Tuesday, March 12, 10 a.m.
• Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Wednesday-Thursday, March 13-14, 7:30 p.m.
• Kinky Boots – Sunday, April 7, 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular – Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m.
• One Night in Memphis – Friday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
• Aesop’s Fables – Thursday, May 16, 10 a.m.

“Before the Kirby Was the Kirby” film schedule (all on Fridays):

• True Grit (1969, G) – June 22 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• The Sound of Music (1965, G) – July 20 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938, NR) – Aug. 24 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Gone with the Wind (1939, G) – Sept. 21 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Murder by Death (1976, PG) – Oct. 26 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• The Wizard of Oz (1939, PG) – Nov. 30 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, PG) – Dec. 21 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The W. Curtis Montz Film Series schedule (all on Wednesdays):

• RBG (2018, PG) – Aug. 8 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sorry to Bother You (2018, NR) – Aug. 15 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Under the Silver Lake (2018, R) – Aug. 22 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• The Insult (2017, R) – Aug. 29 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• The China Hustle (2017, R) – Sept. 5 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• The Square (2017, R) – Sept. 12 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• In the Fade (2017, R) – Sept. 19 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017, PG-13) – Sept. 26 – 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Films TBA for Oct. 3, Oct. 10, and Oct. 24

Splatterday III film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20:

• Disney’s Zombies (2018, TV-G) – 5 p.m. (costume parade starts at 5 p.m.)
• Scream (1996, R) – 8 p.m.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, R) – midnight

Photo by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene