A new Akron-based theater festival is accepting submissions for this summer, and organizers are looking for different types of performances.
The first Summit StageFest will take place June 3 on stages setup around Highland Square. The organizers have been involved with the Akron Art Festival and the PorchRokr Music Festival in the past, and they say StageFest will be another way to showcase Northeast Ohio’s rich arts community.
Jane Bond of Coach House Theater says theater companies will get 45-minute slots, but there will also be “pop-up theater” throughout Highland Square.
“That can be an improv group, or that can be a Shakespearean fight scene, a mannequin challenge; all kinds of things that can take place spontaneously in that area.”
Bond adds that Summit StageFest might also include opera and stand-up comedy along with theater companies such as Weathervane Playhouse, Ohio Shakespeare Festival and Theatre On the Spectrum.
“We’re having one stage that’s going to be dedicated not to a theater company but to individuals in the community who want to, as I say, ‘get your act together and put it on our stage.’ So we’re looking for individuals who are interested in performing. There are lots of different opportunities.”
