Franklin Stage Company Announces 30th Anniversary Summer Season

Hend Ayoub brings her solo show HOME? to the Franklin Stage Company, during its 30th Anniversary Season.

FRANKLIN — The Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County’s renowned classical summer theater, announces their 30th anniversary season from May 31 through August 23rd. “What a milestone—we’re thrilled to have reached 30 years of admission-free performance and our season this year is amazing!” said Patricia Buckley, Artistic Director. “We’ll be producing a classic play, our 2nd world premiere, an amazing solo show, and a wonderful dance company. We’re so excited to bring it to the region.” The theatre is located at 25 Institute Street.

The first event of 2026 is a celebration of a generation of daring performance at Franklin Stage Company’s 30th Anniversary Fundraising Event on May 31. The evening features music group Duo Extempore debuting a newly commissioned piece created exclusively for the milestone, and giving donors and audiences an opportunity to support the Franklin Stage Company in sustaining innovative theater for generations to come. Tickets to this event can be purchased on the company’s website.

On July 3, FSC opens its regular performance season with the classic play, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy of sparkling wit, deception, and desire. As gossip and misunderstandings swirl, two couples navigate pride, rumor, and the messy road to happiness. Much Ado About Nothing runs July 3-–July 19 with 5 shows per week. Next, July 24–26, FSC presents Hend Ayoub’s solo show, HOME? A Palestinian Woman’s Search for Life, Liberty and Happiness. The piece blends masterful storytelling, humor, and movement to explore the search for home amid borders, history, and memory. The following weekend, July 31–August 2, brings Dual Rivet Dance Company whose performances balance power and fragility, speed and stillness, inviting audiences into immersive worlds. FSC’s final production of the season is the theater’s second world premiere—a new play from Kyle Bass, author of Possessing Harriet and Toliver & Wakeman, plays previously produced by FSC. His new play, The Civilities, is set in Upstate NY in 1936, the 75th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, and explores the relationship of a young black graduate student at Cornell University and a Confederate veteran and poet, living in the North.

Franklin Stage Company’s 30th anniversary season runs from May 31 through August 23 at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street in Franklin, NY. Please note all evening shows have a curtain time of 7:30 pm. Sunday shows are at 5:00 pm. Much Ado About Nothing and The Civilities will also have 3:00 pm Saturday matinees. General Seating. Admission is free for all events with the exception of the season fundraiser. Suggested donation for regular FSC shows is $25 per person. For reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org. Programming at the Franklin Stage Company is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.