Love And War Erupt In Quintessence Theatre Group's 14th Season At The Sedgwick Theater

Quintessence Theatre Group, Northwest Philadelphia's first professional theatre company, has produced classic works of theatre for 13 years on stage at the historic Sedgwick Theater in the neighborhood of Mt. Airy. Season XIV includes six epic productions, four in repertory, on the lasting themes of love and war. The season of two musicals and four plays comprises comedy, fantasy, tragedy, history, ambition, and romance. 

“For millennia, communities have gathered at the theatre to celebrate life and reflect upon its complexities,” said Quintessence Theatre Group Artistic Director, Alex Burns. “In putting together our 14th season, we selected six of our favorite classics, each a celebration of love and an exploration of humanity's insatiable need for conflict and war. Over the last year, we finally saw our audiences returning to pre-pandemic level. We turn to these blockbuster classics and the genius of these writers to continue to remind audiences of the power and revelation that only live theatre can bring.”

The 2023-2024 season is:

Major Barbara

 

By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Alex Burns
September 13-October 21
Opening Night is September 20
Previews are September 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2023
Sttudent matinees at 11AM on September 28, and October 4 and 18.

In repertory with

No Exit

 

By  Jean-Paul Sartre
Directed by Alex Burns
September 29-October 28
Opening Night is October 11
Previews are September 29 and October 6
There are student matinees at 11AM on October 5, 11, and 25.

The Fantasticks

Music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Megan Bellwoar
November 22-December 31
Opening night is December 1;
Previews are November 22, 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30
There is a student matinee at 11AM on November 29

In repertory with

The Little Prince: The Musical

 

Music by Rick Cummins and book and lyrics by John Scoullar
Based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Directed by Kyle Metzger
December 2-January 7, 2024
Preview  December 2, with student previews on December 5, 6 and 7
Opening night is December 8
There are student matinees at 11AM on December 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, and January 3, 4 and 5.

Macbeth

 

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Alex Burns
March 14-April 28
Opening night is March 23
There are student matinees at 11AM on March 13, 14, 19, 21, and April 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25.

Father Comes Home From The Wars

 

By Suzan Lori-Parks
Director TBA
May 29-June 23
Opening Night is June 1
There is a student matinee at 10:30AM on June 12.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased starting at $21 per ticket as 6-, 5-, and 4-show Preview Subscriptions, Anytime Subscriptions, Opening Night Subscriptions, and 10-Trip Tickets. Individual show tickets may be purchased starting at $25. Discounts are available for groups, seniors, students and educators, active military, youth and industry. Seating is General Admission with Reserved Premium upgrades available for $10 per ticket. Tickets are available at the 24-hour online Box Office at QTGREP.org, or by calling Mon-Fri, noon-5 PM at 215-987-4400, ext. 1, or emailing BoxOffice@QTGREP.org.  

Major Barbara, directed by Alex Burns, was written by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and was first produced in London at The Royal Court Theatre in 1905. A prolific and sometimes controversial writer, Shaw is likely best known for “Pygmalion," the play that entered theatre and film history as the story told in My Fair Lady. Shaw's admirers are legion, and are referred to as Shavians. A style of theatre unto itself, Shaw's works rival Shakespeare in their scope and impact, and productions of Shaw's Arms and the Man and Saint Joan remain two of Quintessence's most celebrated and well attended repertory productions.

Would you accept the money? In Major Barbara, a billionaire arms dealer offers to donate funds to save his daughter's Salvation Army shelter. She refuses her father's blood money, despite her colleagues' protests. A deal is struck that both must spend a day at the other's place of work. One of George Bernard Shaw's greatest comedies unfolds, posing the question - what is the market value of a human soul? 

Jean-Paul Sartre was a widely influential French writer, philosopher, activist and critic who embodied the ideals of existentialism. When asked how he would like to be remembered, Sartre said, “I would like [people] to remember Nausea, [my plays] “No Exit and The Devil and the Good Lord ... If these are remembered, that would be quite an achievement, and I don't ask for more.” 

In No Exit, directed by Alex Burns, two women and a man die and are guided by a valet to a well-appointed drawing room with no windows, no mirrors, and a locked door. All three know that they are not in heaven, yet are surprised by the comfort of their new surroundings and are unable to close their eyes. Sartre's existential dark comedy proves, “Hell is other people.” 

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