Festival 56 in Princeton announces 2025 season

The Princeton Theater Group announced Festival 56’s summer 2025 season.

The season opens with Broadway’s “Hairspray the Musical,” running from June 27 to July 5 at the Grace Theater, 316 S. Main St. Set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, quirky, plus-sized teenager Tracy Turnblad has one dream: to dance on “The Corny Collins Show.” Overnight, Tracy transforms from a nobody into a star and uses her newfound influence to advocate for racial integration on the TV show. Tracy faces scrutiny and bullying from the network producer Velma and her popular but vicious daughter Amber. With the help of her diverse community, Tracy overcomes the odds and succeeds in her mission to integrate the show. In the Tony Award-winning “Hairspray,” the bright, energetic story of Tracy Turnblad teaches us all to look past the color of one’s skin and fight for every human being’s equal rights.

The free production of Shakespeare in the Park sees the return of the family-friendly and timeless romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from July 6 to July 30 at Soldiers and Sailors Park. In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” four young Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master, Oberon, play a trick on the fairy queen, Titania, as another group attempts to rehearse a play for the king’s wedding. Comedy, mistaken identity, hijinks and multiple weddings ensue. Shakespeare’s plays portray recognizable people in situations that we can all relate to – including love, marriage, death, mourning, guilt, the need to make difficult choices, separation, reunion and reconciliation.

The next production is “Carrie: The Musical” from July 11 to July 20 at the Grace Theater. Carrie White is a teenage outcast who longs to fit in. At school, she is bullied by the popular crowd and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she is dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. What none of them know is that Carrie discovered she has special powers, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use them. Carrie captures the audience with its timely relevancy. The show speaks on the challenges of adolescence, the pressures of high school, and the need to break free of negative social norms to become the best version of ourselves. Carrie challenges the audience to learn from their mistakes and move forward.

To close out the season, the theater will present the family-friendly “The Little Mermaid” from July 25 through Aug. 3 at the Grace Theater. The central story of “The Little Mermaid” is about yearning. Young protagonist Ariel feels constrained by her patriarchal society and senses she does not belong. She yearns for another world, apart from her own, where she can be free from the limits of her confining culture and unadventurous family. Ariel’s journey highlights the importance of self-expression and the struggle to be heard. This desire for transformation comes with a cost. To become human, she must give up her voice, the very thing that allows her to express herself and connect with others. Learning Stages Camp 56 young actors will participate in this production.

Throughout the summer season, enjoy the Cabaret Series from June 20 to Aug. 3. See company members in a new light on the cabaret stage. This is a great opportunity to be entertained with songs from a variety of genres as the audience gets to know the entire company better, Festival 56 said in a news release.

Tickets can be bought online at Festival56.com, at the Festival 56 box office at 316 S. Main St. in Princeton, and by calling 815-879-5656.

The Princeton Theater Group is a volunteer-driven nonprofit arts organization dedicated to developing Princeton and the surrounding region as a home for professional theater and theater arts education. Festival 56 offers professional theater in central Illinois and is produced by the Princeton Theater Group.