Sweet Tea Shakespeare will be closing its summer season with the thrilling play "Pericles." The story tells how a young prince finds his way in the ancient Mediterranean. Pericles faces off against an evil, adulterous king, fights off the best of the best to win the love of his life and wrecks every ship he sets foot on.

"It is like a high seas adventure story, episodic through the whole thing. So instead of one long adventure, it's five little vignettes," Guest Director Marshall Garrett told Up & Coming Weekly.

Garrett is not new to Sweet Tea Shakespeare. He previously directed "The Devil's Charter" for the troupe in 2020. Garrett mirrors the mindset of Sweet Tea when it comes to performing Shakespeare.

"We spend a good deal of time at the beginning of the process, making sure that everybody is on the same page," Garrett said. "How to approach Shakespeare as a performance text and how that's different than, say, a classroom, making sure, we all know the words, and we all know not just like the exciting Shakespearean ambiguities, but also what the play means to us right now. And we've just finished that phase with 'Pericles.'"

The production has moved past the script's subtext and is currently being staged.

"This next phase is actually creating the theatrical events, using a script. Also, all of the actors are singers and musicians, and they put on the kind of concert that envelops the production," Garret said.

While this may be the last production for the season, new faces are joining the performance.

"We do have some old favorites coming into the show, but we also have a lot of fresh blood," Garrett said. "So the vibe will be a bit of a variation on the theme as far as the general Sweet Tea experience."
The show will run for two weeks at 325 Arch St. in downtown Fayetteville starting on July 13 through July 24. Performances will be held Thursday through Sunday. Each show will feature a live music preshow starting at 6:45 p.m. The play will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Parking is available in the garage across the street, and patrons should expect sloped and uneven terrain in the yard.

As with every Sweet Tea Shakespeare event, food and signature drinks will be available for purchase.

Following its two-week run, "Pericles" will perform alongside two other productions from this year's season from Sweet Tea Shakespeare.

"Much Ado About Nothing," "Party at Jay's," and "Pericles" will run in two weekends, where audiences can, in the span of just a few days, see all performances.

"Much Ado About Nothing" will run on July 28, July 31 and Aug. 5. "Party at Jay's" will run on July 29 and Aug. 6. "Pericles" will run on July 30, Aug. 4, and Aug. 7.

Ticket prices range from $10 to $22. A live stream ticket can also be purchased for $10 and will be available only for Saturday night performances. Tickets can be bought at www.sweetteashakespeare.com/tickets/.