Patrick Mulcahy, Producing Artistic Director of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, was the speaker at the April 14 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club.  Since assuming leadership in 2003, Patrick has led PSF’s surge in artistic excellence, financial stability, and national recognition. 
 
Patrick shared information about the Festival's 25 year history during which time over 160 total productions have been staged - including 28 of Shakespeare's 38 plays - plus various musicals, classics, contemporary comedies, dramas and children's shows.  PSF is an independent not-for-profit corporation which receives significant support from DeSales University.
 
The mission of the Festival is "to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate professional productions of classical and contemporary plays, with a core commitment to the works of Shakespeare and other master dramatists, and through an array of educational outreach and mentorship programs."
 
The Festival provides educational enhancement, training and internship opportunities to students in the DeSales Theatre program, as well as students from around the country. Professional artists on the DSU Theatre faculty and staff join with leading professionals from across the country each season to form the annual PSF company of actors and artists.
 
Patrick shared information about the educational focus of PSF including its WillPower Tour (which takes Shakespeare into schools throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware), the PSF Shakespeare Competition (high school students perform scenes from a Shakespeare play of their choosing with winners receiving four-year scholarships to DeSales University ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per year) and Shakespeare for Kids or "S4K" (a high-energy one-hour production designed for children ages 4 to 10 to actively experience Shakespeare’s vibrant language and characters).
 
Patrick gave an overview of the plays to be staged this summer which include Julius Caeser, The Taming of the Shrew, Love's Labour's Lost, West Side Story, Blithe Spirit and The Little Mermaid.  He also highlighted the success of several actors who have performed in the past in PSF productions.
 
Patrick ended his presentation with a quote from a young audience member for whom experiencing a Shakespeare performance was a life-changing event.