People's Light and Theatre Company
Encyclopedia
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
founded in 1974 in Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census. The main road through the borough is King Street, although the borough is also bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, and is near US 30 on the north. The primary cross street is Warren...
. People's Light produces 8-9 productions per season, as well as plays performed by the Summerstage school program. There is a holiday show each season, and the past 3 years have been comedies in the British pantomime style
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. Within the PLTC campus there are two buildings, including the Main Stage (350 seats available) and the Steinbright Stage (170 seats available).
People's Light employs approximately 25 resident actors, many of whom have received numerous Barrymore Awards
Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater
The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater are awards presented by the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia for Philadelphia-area theater productions. One journalist referred to the award as "Philadelphia’s equivalent of a Tony."...
in multiple categories, along with a total of over 200 guest actors from all over the country. Some notable actors have appeared at People's Light, including David Strathairn
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
and Amy Van Nostrand
Amy Van Nostrand
Amy Van Nostrand is an American actress. She has appeared on Broadway in The Hothouse by Harold Pinter; off-Broadway, she appeared in Pearl Theatre's Dance With Me....
.
About the Property
The current People's Light campus is located on 4.7 acres (19,020.2 m²) of what was once a 1000 acres (4 km²) tract granted by William PennWilliam Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
to the Malin family in 1709. Part of this tract of land was occupied by the Washington's
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
troops after the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
. The barn that houses the Main Stage of the theatre was renovated in 1978 by Knabb Assiciates. The residence located on the property today was built in 1790 and was used as a private boys' school, which was the first school in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
East Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,650 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Today it houses Places! Bistro, a French bistro-style restaurant affiliated with the theatre. People's Light & Theatre Company is the third owner of the property, following artist Gager Philips, who owned the property in 1936.
The original site of the theatre was Strode's Mill, in East Bradford Township, Pennsylvania. The mill was built in 1721 and has had a number of uses-- originally used as a grist mill, it is currently being used as an artist's gallery and residence.
Community
In 1987, People's Light started the "Project Discovery" program. The program gives free tickets to surrounding high schools, and holds free workshops and acting classes for students of all economic backgrounds. It is currently partners with 21 high schools from the Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties of Pennsylvania. The program was started by People's Light co-founder Danny Fruchter, with help from Barbara Masters, a fifth-grade teacher from General Wayne Elementary School in Malvern, PA.Current Season 2010-2011
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel written by Ken Kesey. Set in an Oregon asylum, the narrative serves as a study of the institutional process and the human mind, as well as a critique of Behaviorism and a celebration of humanistic principles. Written in 1959, the novel was adapted into a...
Legacy of Light
The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto
Kidnapped
Kidnapped (novel)
Kidnapped is a historical fiction adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "boys' novel" and first published in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis...
!
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...
The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Master Builder is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's most significant and revealing works.-Performance:...
Dividing the Estate
Dividing the Estate
Dividing the Estate is a play by Horton Foote. Set in the fictional town of Harrison, Texas in 1987, it focuses on the Gordons, a clan of malcontents ruled by octogenarian matriarch Stella that must prepare for an uncertain future when plunging real estate values and an unexpected tax bill have a...
Hatchetman
External Links & Notes
Artful Making: What Managers Need to Know about How Artists Work - many references to People's Light & Theatre Company.A Gathering of Actors: The People's Light & Theatre Company - Book about the theatre.
People's Light & Theatre Company - Describes in operational detail the activities involved in creating a collaborative and artistic product.
Actor David Strathairn - information about Mr. Strathairn's role in a People's Light & Theatre Company production.
Publishing Profile - Louis Lippa - Louis Lippa is the Playwright-in-Residence for People's Light.
Pennsylvania Department of Education - listing for People's Light on the PA Dept. of Education website.
Resume of Y York - has adapted/written plays for by PLTC
People's Light MySpace
People's Light Flickr page
