Freeport Theatre Festival announced its 19th summer season and is celebrating Freeport's 175th anniversary.

Rennick Steele's powerful historical drama "Massey Harbison" starts the season this July 11th and runs through August 3rd with extra performances as part of Freeport's 175th Anniversary Celebrations during the week of July 26th through August 3rd.

Rennick Steele, an accomplished writer, will also direct the play.

"Massey Harbison" is a historical drama about a genuine pioneer heroine, a Freeporter, who with grit, determination and faith survived captivity by renegade warriors near present-day Freeport, and lived to found a great American family.

Dave Harbison, artist and great, great, great grandson of Massey Harbison, inspired by the frontier, will share his collection of scrimshaw and other objects of frontier art.

The show will play at 7:30 p.m. on the following performance dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 and August 1, 2, and 3. Extra performances are offered as part of Freeport’s 175th Anniversary Celebrations the week of July 26th through August 3rd

The second play of the season will be "Arms and the Man", a romantic comedy written by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Marushka Steele.

The scenario is once upon a time, in a faraway land, on a night when the moon was full of romantic reverie, a beautiful young woman named Raina sinks into her fluffy bed with a romantic novel. Suddenly, gunshots ring out, and as if from the pages of her book, a desperate soldier bursts into her room. He lights a match and Shaw’s delightful romantic comedy about fanciful notions of love and valor begins to tease and please with the help of a most eccentric family and household, an outrageous fiancé, and, of course, Raina’s soon to be her “chocolate cream soldier.” Elizabeth Lindsay of Freeport will be the Spotlight Gallery for this show.

Performance Dates will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday on August 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24. Show time is 8:00 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $12/10; Pre-Theatre Dinner at River Forest Country Club, 724-295-2298. Seating at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Reservations a must.

For further information call 724-295-1934 or visit the Freeport Theatre Festical web site at: www.freeporttheatrefestival.org

Freeport Theatre Festival is located at 2498 White Cloud (just off Route 356) in Allegheny Township (mail:(724) 295-1934 Leechburg, PA 15656).