(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- Lantern Theater Company is thrilled to announce its upcoming 2024-25 season, which will mark the company's 31st year of bringing great stories from great writers to Philadelphia and beyond. The Lantern will showcase four extraordinary plays from some of the world's best playwrights, past and present: The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler; American Moor by Keith Hamilton Cobb; William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing; and Patrick Barlow's rollicking adaptation of the classic John Buchan adventure novel and Alfred Hitchcock film, The 39 Steps.
In reflecting on the 2024-25 season’s themes of our collective yearning for human connection, McMahon noted, “At the core of every human being is an irresolvable conflict between our desire for individual freedom and our need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. This paradox, born into all of us, is at the root of much great drama – stories that lead to self-knowledge, empathy, and healing. The four extraordinary plays that comprise our 2024-25 season address this timeless struggle from a variety of perspectives and styles – all with a common thread of great language, fascinating characters, and deep insight into what it means to be human.”
Season Subscriptions and Flex Packages start at $112 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Single tickets go on sale August 1, 2024.
Lantern Theater Company’s 2024-25 Mainstage Season
September 5 – October 6, 2024 | The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler, directed by Jesse Bernstein. Two couples – Esther and Schmuli, Abe and Sophie – seem destined for each other, but are torn apart by their conflicting sense of obligation and independence. From the writer of Lantern hits Photograph 51 and The Last Match comes this moving exploration of estrangement and the great human yearning for connection, told with keen humor and deep empathy for these flawed and fascinating characters.
November 7 – December 8, 2024 | American Moor by Keith Hamilton Cobb, directed by Kash Goins. An actor auditions for the title role in Othello. From this simple scenario springs a rich and penetrating exploration of Shakespeare in a story told with wit, passion, and linguistic brilliance. The conflicting views of the actor and the director shine a revealing light on race and art in modern America, and bring a refreshing new perspective on the enduring power of Shakespeare’s work.
February 13 – March 16, 2025 | Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, directed by Charles McMahon. Beatrice and Benedick hardly seem like a couple to be placed at the center of a classic romantic comedy. Well past the age of youthful infatuation, they would rather duel with wits and mock the coup de foudre of the young lovers Claudio and Hero. But Venus will not be denied. Through a dizzying web of misdirection and deceits both malign and benign, Beatrice’s and Benedick’s steadfast refusal to love is put to the acid test. Will they go on with their merry single lives or fall in love despite themselves?
May 15 – June 15, 2025 | The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock and an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. A spy thriller or a rollicking comedy? Why not both? We travel from London to the Scottish Highlands and back in this absurdist play about a social dandy trying to thwart the theft of state military secrets. Winner of the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and a 2008 Tony Award® nominee for Best Play, this riotous adaptation of The 39 Steps was inspired by John Buchan’s 1915 adventure novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film and continues to delight audiences today.
Founded in 1994 and currently celebrating its 30th anniversary season, the mission of Lantern Theater Company is to produce plays that investigate and illuminate what is essential in the human spirit and the spirit of the times. The Lantern serves the Greater Philadelphia region with award-winning productions and education programming, notably partnering with middle schools and high schools in the Philadelphia School District to provide in-classroom residencies in support of curricular learning. The Lantern became a national leader in streaming theater during the Covid health crisis, producing ten fully designed plays that were created and filmed in the company’s resident home at St. Stephen’s Theater, garnering coverage in national media including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, while reaching more than 30,000 people in 15 countries and all 50 states. The Lantern’s 30th anniversary season will conclude with William Shakespeare’s lyrical and hilarious The Comedy of Errors, directed by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon
