Just in time for the sunny season ‘A Summer Day‘ is hitting the stage at the Wilma Theater, and locals can catch this “whimsically beautiful” show beginning June 10.
The psychological, magical plot was penned by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Jon Fosse (and translated by Sarah Cameron Sunde). The Wilma’s rendition is directed under the guidance of Co-Artistic Director Yury Urnov.
“The Wilma Theater is at its best when faced with a challenge,” says Urnov. “’A Summer Day’ by Jon Fosse is work I’d never think of approaching if not for our splendid HotHouse Acting Company or our risk-taking audience. It’s so open for interpretation, so multilayered, and, at the same time, Fosse knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. He mixes genres like no one else. The play is simultaneously a suspenseful investigation story, an emotional drama, a piece of theater, poetry, and philosophy.”
Fosse, a Norwegian author and playwright, has had his work shown around the world thousands of times, but only a couple of times in the United States. Until now, ‘A Summer Day’ had only been presented once before in an off-Broadway production at Cherry Lane Theatre in 2012 in New York City.
The cast features Wilma HotHouse Acting Company members Krista Apple, Campbell O’Hare, Melanye Finister, Brett Ashley Robinson, and Ross Beschler, with Philadelphia-based actor Jaime Maseda.
The HotHouse at Wilma was founded in 2011 by Wilma founder Blanka Zizka. Since then, the Wilma has invested in artistic development by hosting workshops led by an array of international master teachers, including Attis Theatre’s Theodoros Terzopoulos and Troubleyn Theatre’s Ivana Jozic, among others.
And the plot? ‘A Summer Day’ follows an older woman (Apple) haunted by a summer day when her husband, Asle (Maseda), goes out to sea in his boat and never returns. As the show’s description cites, she has lived alone in her remote house by the bay in the decades since his disappearance, but after a visit from an old friend (Finister), the woman begins to converse with her younger self (O’Hare). As the play weaves between the past and present, she begins to uncover the truth of what happened that day.
The show begins previews on Tuesday, June 10, and runs through Thursday, June 12. The production then opens with an invite-only performance on Friday, June 13, at 7 p.m. and runs through Sunday, June 29. Tickets ($35+) can be purchased online or by calling the Wilma’s box office (215-546-7824). The Wilma offers discounts for select groups, in addition to rush tickets and “Pay-What-You-Wilma” to attend preview performances as well.
There are some dates to keep an eye out for: A Childcare Matinee will take place on Saturday, June 21, at 2 p.m. (during which paid childcare will be available in partnership with Music Theatre Philly.) Plus, the Wilma and Head House Books have partnered up for the first-ever WilmaHouse Book Club, inspired by the show on June 15.
Following that Sunday’s matinee, attendees can connect with fellow book lovers in the Good Karma Café, located in the Wilma lobby, and enjoy drinks while exploring the connections between Fosse’s book ‘Morning and Evening’ and the play. After signing up, participants can pick up a physical copy of their book in person at either Head House Books or the Wilma Theater as well, a release notes.
There’s also a post-show conversation with production members set for the matinee performance on June 22 and an Open Mic night scheduled on June 23 at 7 p.m., which is open to the public for participation. With the latter, HotHouse Company member Jaylene Clark Owens and poet Cyn Jones will discuss the play, share poetry, and explore the theme “Stuck in the Past.”
The June 17 and 26 performances include a post-show Café Chat in the lobby with the cast and crew led by members of the artistic team, and the Wilma is also welcoming African American audiences to attend the Black Affinity Night on Friday, June 20, which offers “Pay-What-You-Wilma” ticket prices.
For those who can’t make it out in person, the Wilma will offer an on-demand streaming presentation of ‘A Summer Day’ available from July 7 to 27.
For more information and to buy tickets for ‘A Summer Day’ at the Wilma Theater (265 S Broad St.), visit wilmatheater.org
