Alice Wilkinson is seen as The Fool in upcoming Texas Shakespeare Festival production of “Lear.”

KILGORE — The Texas Shakespeare Festival will open the curtains on its 38th season in a few weeks — and directors, cast and crew are hard at work to present a season of performances.

Susan Felder, a director, actor and playwright, is joining the festival for the first time but has an extensive history in theater and performing arts.

For the 2023 season, Felder is directing a theatrical presentation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel “Pride and Prejudice.”

“I saw the title of this play, and I’ve wanted to direct Jane Austen for quite a long time. It was on my bucket list,” she said.

With experience at the Chicago and Montana Shakespeare festivals, as well as regional theater, Felder has performed and directed across the country but says Kilgore and TSF have their own unique charms.

“I cannot speak highly enough of this festival, and I’ve worked at festivals three times this size,” she said. “It’s the joy and the care and the caliber of these people they have brought together. We’ve had a ball! It’s really been a dream. It’s a whirlwind, but the organization is very beautiful.”

Matt Zambrano also joins TSF for the first time this year, directing Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors.”

Zambrano made a two-day drive from Denver to be a part of the 2023 season.

“I’ve really been blown away by the incredible amount of heart that I’ve experienced at this festival,” Zambrano said, noting he enjoyed being a part of the group of directors and designers coming together with unique visions for each of the season’s shows.

He also said he enjoyed experiencing a visit to TSF by Lumen Theatre Company, a troupe from Chongqing, China, who will perform as a part of the festival.

Deychen Volino-Gyetsa has acting roles in three plays this season: “The Comedy of Errors,” “Lear” and “Pride and Prejudice.” This marks her first season with the festival, though she was a cast member of the touring TSF Roadshow, which brings abridged versions of plays to young people from East Texas to the other side of Texas in Odessa. They perform for school children and theater students, as well as young people in juvenile detention centers.

“Some of the kids that we come across have never seen a Shakespeare show, which is really exciting,” Volino-Gyetsa said. “We try to work with the language in a way that is accessible and easy to understand and helps them think of Shakespeare as not so scary, that his words from 400 years ago really do apply to our lives today. ”

Ptah Garvin will perform roles in “The Comedy of Errors,” “Lear” and “Something Rotten” this season.

“It’s been great so far. I’m definitely enjoying being here,” she said. “I’ve heard only good things about (TSF) from friends who have worked here in the past, and I’m excited to be here.”

Garvin noted the festival stands out to him because of the way “the community embraces TSF.”

“Everyone here is truly nice and wants you to have a good time, and if there’s anything that you need, people are willing to go above and beyond to make sure that you are comfortable while you are here for the summer,” he said.

Erin Carter is the costume designer for “Lear” as well as “Pride and Prejudice.”

“It’s been incredible,” Carter said of her first season with TSF. “I live in Fort Worth, so it’s been nice to come over and work someplace locally, to stay in Texas and make art here in Texas.”

She said she first took an interest in theater in high school and has been pursuing her passion in the field ever since.

“I’ve been a costume designer and costume technician in a freelance form since 2013,” Carter said. “I’ve done all sorts of things — building clothes, designing clothes and teaching for years.”

Costuming actors for Shakespearean and historical plays can be challenging, she said, because these costumes are more elaborate than modern clothing. However, this provides more opportunities to express creativity.

“With the costumes for ‘Lear,’ they are kind of Viking-inspired and a little Celtic, so there are lots of layers and there is armor, lots of jewelry and we’ve got swords and sword carriers. It’s a really complex piece,” she said. “ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is also a period piece, so the women have really structured undergarments and long dresses and lots of accessories to go with it.”

She said enjoys the flexibility of Shakespeare, which allows TSF to stage “Lear” in a more historical setting, while costume designer Camilla Morrison brings a more contemporary, “beachy” vibe to “The Comedy of Errors”.

“You really get to see a wide variety of aesthetics showcased onstage,” Carter said.

The season is set to open June 29 in the the Van Cliburn Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus.

This year’s productions are:

“The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare;

“Lear” by William Shakespeare;

“Something Rotten!” (musical) by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell with music and lyrics by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick;

“Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austin, adapted by Melissa Leilani Larson;

“Charlotte Collins” by Grace Abele; and

“Todrick the Not-so-Terrible” (children’s show) by Grace Abele.

Established by former Artistic Director Raymond Caldwell in 1986, the Texas Shakespeare Festival began as KC’s contribution to the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration.

For information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.texasshakespeare.com.