THE MELTING POT to Return to Philadelphia Stage

Philadelphia Artists' Collective and Theatre Ariel will join forces this fall to present a new production of Israel Zangwill's The Melting Pot, running October 21-November 8 at Philadelphia's historic Arch Street Meeting House. The press opening is set for October 21 at 7 p.m.

First produced in 1908, Zangwill's play helped popularize the "Melting Pot" metaphor in the United States and became a success during its original New York run. The new Philadelphia production will revisit the work more than a century later, examining its ideas about immigration, identity and belonging from a contemporary perspective.

The Melting Pot follows David Quixano, a young Jewish-Russian immigrant who comes to New York after fleeing violence in Russia. David is composing a symphony celebrating his belief in America as a place where people from around the world can build something new. When he falls in love with Vera Revendal, however, his faith in that promise collides with the trauma of the life he left behind.

“When I read Zangwill's play, I was intrigued by the timeliness of its story,” said Theatre Ariel Artistic Director Jesse Bernstein. “What does it mean to wrestle with Zangwill's message and the characters' hopes in 2026? Where does the hope resonate, where does it feel sticky, and where might the message feel outdated?”

The production brings together two Philadelphia companies with different connections to the material. The play's Jewish immigrant story aligns with Theatre Ariel's focus on theater inspired by the Jewish experience, while its status as a rarely performed historical work aligns with Philadelphia Artists' Collective's focus on revisiting classical texts.

The production will be staged at the Arch Street Meeting House, a historic Quaker meetinghouse at 320 Arch Street in Philadelphia.

“We knew there was a history at the heart of the play that made us want to find a non-traditional space for the performances,” Bernstein said. “The Arch Street Meeting House is a historic venue, and it felt like a perfect setting.”

The cast will feature Adam Galloway as David Quixano, Lexi Thammavong as Vera Revendal, J Hernandez as Mendel Quixano, Jessy Gruver as Kathleen O'Reilly, Eli Lynn as Quincy Davenport, Johnny Fernandez as Baron Revendal and Adam Pelta-Pauls as Herr Pappelmeister.

The Melting Pot runs October 21-November 8, 2026. Tickets are available through Theatre Ariel's ticketing site.