Arden Theatre Company 2023/24 Season Single Tickets Are On Sale Now

Audiences can now get ready to experience the Arden Theatre Company's thrilling 36th Season featuring great stories by great storytellers.

It is full of critical and audience favorites and a brand new play written by a treasured local author. The 2023/24 season includes two musicals, a regional premiere, a Philadelphia premiere and a World Premiere. The season opens with an incisive take on Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins (September 21 - October 15), a provocative and prescient musical by one of American theatre's masters.

Followed by the Philadelphia premiere of What the Constitution Means to Me (October 26 - December 3), a wildly successful and very funny play by Heidi Schreck.  Then the theatre kicks off 2024 with the world premiere of Lorene Cary's Ladysitting (January 18 - February  25, 2024) , a new play based on her acclaimed memoir about caring for her 101 year old Nana. Next, the Arden will mount the Philadelphia premiere of the Tony Award-winning play that triumphed in London and New York, The Lehman Trilogy (March  7 -  April 7, 2024)  an audacious and sweeping story about family and power.

The season closes with the glorious musical Once on This Island (May 16 - June 16, 2024), with a soaring score that speaks to renewal, transcendence and possibility. Arden Children's Theatre features two new productions of classic stories filled with adventure and sure to delight everyone of any age. Roald Dahl's The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) (November 29, 2023 – January 21, 2024) will bring in the holiday season and the new year. Then audiences can join Pinocchio (April 10-June 2, 2024) on a quest to be a real boy in this imaginative new adaptation of this classic story by Arden favorite Greg Banks.

The Arden's Producing Artistic Director Terrence J. Nolen will direct Assassins and The Lehman Trilogy. Jennifer Childs, Producing Artistic Director of 1812 Productions is directing What the Constitution Means to Me. Zuhairah McGill, Artistic Director of First World Theatre Company, is directing Ladysitting and Amina Robinson is directing Once on This Island. In Arden Children's Theatre, longtime Arden favorite Whit McLaughlin returns to direct The BFG and Rebecca Wright, who directed Little Red Riding Hood last season, returns to direct Pinnochio.   Single tickets begin at $30 with discounts available for students, seniors, kids and teens. They are available online at www.ardentheatre.org, by phone at 215.922.1122, or in person at the box office at Arden Theatre Company at 40 N. 2nd Street.

“We remain committed to bringing to our stages a wide range of stories and are thrilled to be launching a season that includes new work, Philadelphia premieres, Arden Children's Theatre, and audacious musical theatre,” said Arden Theatre Company Producing Artistic Director Terrence J Nolen. “So many great Philadelphia artists are coming together to bring this season to life, and we can't wait to share with Philly audiences the power, possibility, and joy of live theatre.  Please join us!”

The Arden returns to the genius work of Stephen Sondheim with this audacious musical that speaks to the moment we are in as a country in a prescient and powerful way. Expect the unexpected, with Arden's fresh take on this bold classic. Arden Producing Artistic Director Terrence J. Nolen is partnering with award-winning video designer Jorge Cousineau to set the world of Assassins in an online chat room. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman, Assasins tells the story of a group of Americans consumed by grievance and a desperate need to be heard. Bold, original, and surprisingly funny, Assassins is a musical not to be missed. Assassins will run September 21 - October 15, 2023 with an Opening Night on September 27.

Next is Heidi Schreck's hopeful, heartfelt, and endearingly funny What the Constitution Means to Me, which was a smash hit during its run in New York and it will be one of the most produced plays in the country this season. This will be only production steps away from the place where the document was written. Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition and developed a deep love of the Constitution by winning debate competitions around the country. In this one-woman show, Schreck reimagines how this living document affected her past and how it will shape the next generations of Americans. It runs October 26 - December 3, 2023 with a November 1 Opening Night.

Just in time for the holiday season, Roald Dahl's beloved book, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), comes to the stage in a vibrant new production. The BFG  follows the story of 8-year-old Sophie as she learns about the lives of giants, dreams, and friendship. On her journey she discovers that you just never know where you might find unexpected kindness and a little bit of bravery! Adapted by David Wood and directed by longtime Arden collaborator Whit McLaughlin, this perfect for any age show runs November 29, 2023 – January 21, 2024. Opening Night is Saturday, December 9.

 

The Arden kicks off the new year with a World Premiere play by acclaimed Philadelphia author Lorene Cary. Ladysitting, inspired by Carey's book of the same title, explores the life and last year of Lorene's Nana - a fiercely strong and independent woman, who now needs the care of others. Ladysitting captures the ruptures, love, and forgiveness that can occur in family as she journeys through stories of five generations of their African American ancestors and bears witness to her grandmother's 101 vibrant years of life. Ladysitting will also mark the Arden directorial debut of celebrated Philadelphia actress and director Zuhairah McGill, who recently refined her craft as a Lunt Fontainne Fellow. Ladysitting will run January 18-February 25, 2024. Opening Night is January 24.

Weaving together nearly two centuries of family history, The Lehman Trilogy charts the humble beginnings, outrageous successes and devastating failure of  the financial institution that would bring the global economy to its knees. This Philadelphia premiere of this Tony Award-winning new play by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power is an epic theatrical triumph featuring three actors in an extraordinary feat of storytelling. The Lehman Trilogy is directed by Producing Artistic Director Terrence J. Nolen. It runs March 7-April 7, 2024, with an Opening Night on March 13.

Arden Children's Theatre continues with a modern retelling of Carlo Collodi's classic tale -- a wooden boy, a nose that grows, a huge whale, and a cricket with a lot of opinions.  In a wildly imaginative production, Pinocchio is filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, and adventures that will amaze and delight children of all ages. Pinnochio is written by Greg Banks and directed by Rebecca Wright. It runs April 10-June 2, 2024. Opening Night is Saturday, April 20.

 

The season closes on an island with an award-winning and heartwarming musical. In search of her place in the world with guidance from the island gods, Ti Moune, a fearless young woman of the French Antilles, risks it all on a remarkable journey to reunite with the one who has captured her heart. Exhilarating and irresistible, Once on This Island, with lyrics and a book by Lynn Ahrens and Music by Stephen Flaherty, the creators of Ragtime, Rocky: The Musical, Anastasia and more, is a radiant story reminding audiences that a beautiful story simply told has the power to help us weather the storm and allow our spirits to sing. Amina Robinson returns to direct this anticipated season finale that runs May 16-June 16, 2024 with an Opening Night on May 22.

Arden Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is a professional theatre company in Old City, dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. To date, the Arden has produced 46 World Premieres.

The Arden has developed four distinct educational programs: Arden for All, our in-school arts education program for elementary level students; Arden Drama School, our on-site, tuition-based theatre classes for pre-K through 12th grade students; Teen Arden, our theatre enrichment program for high school students; and the Arden Professional Apprentice program, a rigorous training program for young theatre professionals.

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