PHILADELPHIA – In the midst of another record-breaking year of sold out performances and extended runs, Lantern Theater Company announces the productions that will comprise its 20th anniversary season in 2013/14. The season will begin with the Philadelphia premiere of Jane Austen’s Emma in an adaptation by Michael Bloom, directed by Lantern Associate Artistic Director Kathryn MacMillan. During the holidays, the Lantern will present a world premiere adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a co-creation by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon and Philadelphia creator/performer Sebastienne Mundheim. In the spring, Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon directs William Shakespeare’s epic tragedy Julius Caesar. The season will close with the Philadelphia premiere of South African playwright Athol Fugard’s newest play, The Train Driver.
“As we approach this major milestone, it seems natural to take a moment to reflect on what has passed before plunging ahead with renewed excitement,” said Artistic Director and Co-Founder Charles McMahon, reflecting on the Lantern’s 20th anniversary season. “Since we began the Lantern in 1994, the Philadelphia theater scene has grown tremendously – more than seemed imaginable twenty years ago. We are very proud to be part of the incredible story of theater in Philadelphia. Proud of the artists who got their start here, and of the audiences who have become part of our artistic family. Proud of the great plays we have introduced to Philadelphia, and of the fresh perspectives we have brought to the classics. We look forward to what’s next.”
Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen’s Theater at 10th and Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia. More information is available at http://www.lanterntheater.org or (215) 829-0395. 4-Play Subscriptions and Flex Packages are now available for $72 – $136, with discounts available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more. Single tickets go on sale in August 2013.
Lantern Theater Company’s 2013/14 Mainstage Season
Emma
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
From the novel by Jane Austen
Adapted by Michael Bloom
Directed by Kathryn MacMillan
September 19 – October 20, 2013
Jane Austen’s beloved novel comes to life in a sparkling adaptation that celebrates her most maddening, endearing heroine.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales
WORLD PREMIERE
From the poem by Dylan Thomas
Adapted by Charles McMahon and Sebastienne Mundheim
December 5, 2013 – January 5, 2014
Dylan Thomas’ comic poem and local creator/performer Sebastienne Mundheim’s unique puppetry create a wondrous winter landscape where, through the eyes of a child, a day of play becomes a hero’s odyssey of mythic proportions.
Sebastienne Mundheimis an interdisciplinary storyteller, installation artist and educator who has been creating arts-based interdisciplinary performance and community events for 20 years. Her works have been commissioned and/or presented by The Rosenbach Museum and Library, The University of Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College, The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, and others.
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles McMahon
February 6 – March 16, 2014
Politics and personal ambitions collide in Shakespeare’s great tragedy, where whispered conspiracies and unlikely alliances set up a disastrous chain of events that bring down an emperor.
The Train Driver
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
By Athol Fugard
Director to be announced
April 10 – May 4, 2014
Athol Fugard’s newest play explores the possibility of redemption and brotherhood in the new South Africa. Starring bellowed Philadelphia actors Peter DeLaurier and Frank X, this potent, riveting drama is one that you won’t soon forget.
2013/14 Special Events– Lantern Theater Company: In Conversation
(free for all ticket holders)
Directors: In Conversation— Audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the design and rehearsal process with pre-show Q&As with each play’s director. (Week 1 Fridays, 7 p.m.)
Artists: In Conversation— This post-show discussion series offers an opportunity to talk with the creative artists involved with each production. (Week 1 and Week 2 Sundays, after 2 p.m. performance)
Open Captioned Performances— Captions that translate dialogue and other sounds will be displayed on an LED screen located near the stage. Open Captioning is helpful to the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as people whose second language is English. (Week 3 Fridays, 8 p.m. and Week 3 Saturdays, 2 p.m.)
