The first-ever outdoor theater show by Sylvia Center for the Arts in Bellingham will take place this summer in Maritime Heritage Park. Performances of The Emperor of the Moon will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 15–24 at 7:30 pm. All six performances take place will be free to the public. On Fri -Sat, June 16-17, pre-show receptions will be hosted just up the steps at the Sylvia Center studio theater, with food, booze and music — tickets will be $50 to raise funds for the free shows and Sylvia Center for the Arts’ capital campaign. Sylvia Center for the Arts is seeking sponsors for the free performances, the pre-show receptions, and the post-show concerts. Interested parties may email info@sylviacenterforthearts.org for more information. THE EMPEROR OF THE MOON is a ribald tale about a pair of lovestruck cousins, Elaria and Belamante, who try to pass off their two suitors as visiting royalty from the moon in order to trick their astronomy-fancying father/uncle, the scholarly Dr Baliardo, into allowing them to marry—comedic mishaps and buffoonery ensue. Sylvia Center Artistic Director Glenn Apollo Hergenhahn-Zhao's brand-new translation of this 17th-century farce made its debut as a workshop performance during our New Works Festival in May 2017. The original play was written in 1687 by Aphra Behn, a playwright, author, and spay known as the first professional femal writer in England (and perhaps the world).
