Help us produce our 2024/25 season!
Plays and Players Presents Effective Voices!
Effective Voices — Change begins when the unheard are heard. This year Plays & Players examines the power of perspective!
We need your support to bring this work to life!
Ticket sales only go so far as to cover the costs of performance rights, production supplies, and living wages for the artists who bring these plays to life! Consider making a tax-deductible donation to Plays and Players Theatre today!
Want to avoid the fees and have your donation go farther?
Consider mailing a check to:
Plays and Players Theatre
1714 Delancey Pl
Philadelphia PA 19103
More about our season!
Our Spring Production! Thurgood by George R. Stevens April 9 to 20
Thurgood depicts the true life of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, and his role in the historic decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case in this one-man production. Performances at 7:30pm Wednesday to Saturday, 2:00pm Sunday.
Our Reading Series!
November 7 – 9 (7:30pm) Single Black Female by Lisa B. Thompson This two-woman show with rapid-fire comic vignettes that explore the lives of thirty-something African American middle-class women in urban America as they search for love, clothes, and dignity in a world that fails to recognize them amongst a parade of stereotypical images. SBF 1, an English literature professor, and SBF 2, a corporate lawyer, keep each other balanced as they face their fears of rejection, hopes for romance, and reminisce about black girlhood wounds. While embodying a variety of characters, the girlfriends discuss the absurdities of interracial dating, the lure of recreational shopping, and the merits of college reunions for bolstering one’s self-esteem. After reviewing their escapades in past relationships and confessing their own mounting anxieties about commitment and the possibility of motherhood, the pair realize their best chance at love may be found closer than they ever imagined. TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!
January 16 – 18 (7:30pm) In the Continuum by Danai Gurira & Nikkole Salter This play puts a human face on the devastating impact of AIDS in Africa and America through the lives of two unforgettably courageous women. Living worlds apart, one in South Central LA and the other in Zimbabwe, each experience a kaleidoscopic weekend of life-changing revelations in this story of parallel denials and self-discoveries.
Our season is curated by our Artistic Committee:
Linda Gryn
Steven A. Wright
Allen Clark
To submit a play or resume please email artistic@playsandplayers.org
Don't miss our other amazing programming showcasing local comedians, musicians, and visual artists, or join us for a night of frivolity at one of our social events!
A complete list of Plays and Players events can be found here!
Mission
As a coalition of theatre artists and enthusiasts, Plays & Players strives to provide intelligent, inclusive, and diverse plays that engage and entertain audiences, invest in local talent, and preserve its historic landmark home.
History of The Theater and Our Organization
Plays & Players Theatre is one of the oldest theaters in continuous use in the United States. It was designed and constructed in 1912 by famed Philadelphia architect Amos W. Barnes. Beginning as The Little Theatre, it has also been known as the Delancey Street Theatre and The Philadelphia Theatre before being known as Plays & Players Theatre.
Plays & Players began in 1911 as a social club devoted to expanding and developing new theater experiences for and by its membership. The first President, Maud Durbin Skinner, was the wife of the famed American actor Otis Skinner. The Plays & Players Theatre then called the “Little Theatre of Philadelphia,” opened its doors in 1913. The theatre was founded by Beulah E. Jay and her husband Edward G. Jay, Jr., with acquaintance F.H. Shelton in an effort to produce “American plays of ideas,” an underrepresented genre at the time. During its 112 years of performing, Plays & Players theater company has produced innumerable notable performances — some of the most noteworthy being the world premiere of the acclaimed Broadway play “Stalag 17” in 1949, and a childhood performance by actor Kevin Bacon in Member of the Wedding in 1974. The first season of Plays & Players included An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde and The Learned Ladies by Moliere, both still popular plays today.
In the 1960′s Plays & Players decided to grow from being a members-only club to an all-inclusive one and opened its productions to the entire community. In the 70′s, the Plays and Players Children’s Theater was added to its busy schedule. On March 14, 1973, Plays & Players Theatre was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. Over the twentieth century, Plays & Players expanded its repertoire beyond community theater to include workshops, classes and more. In 2011-2012, Plays & Players celebrated its 100th season of performances by local artists in Philadelphia.
Once an exclusive club, Plays & Players has grown into a professional theatre devoted to supporting established and emerging local artists in practicing and performing their craft. A historic company existing in a vibrant modern art scene, Plays & Players continues to change and grow while always keeping an eye on its rich and powerful past.
Thurgood is produced by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC www.broadwayplaypublishing.com
“Single Black Female” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
“In the Continuum” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
PHOTO CREDIT : Rosie Simmons Edward Albee's "The Zoo Story", performed by Kevin Bergen (left) and Robert DaPonte (right) - (April 2023)
Plays & Players Theatre is a 501(c) 3 organization that strives to provide intelligent, inclusive and diverse plays that engage and entertain audiences, to invest in local talent, and to preserve its historic landmark home, as a coalition of theatre artists and enthusiasts.