Philly Theatre Week is here

Philadelphia theatergoers will have plenty to choose from as the curtain rises on the sixth annual Philly Theatre Week.

More than 100 performances over an 11-day span fill the schedule for the region’s busiest week of shows, starting on March 23.

“Philly Theatre Week is always such an exciting time of the year for theater-goers,” said Theatre Philadelphia Executive Director LaNeshe Miller-White. “From comedies to musicals and traditional productions to a site-specific show about beds that is performed IN a bed, there really is something for everyone.”

Philly Theatre Week has moved to a “pay-what-you-can” system for tickets, giving viewers the opportunity to full access to shows without breaking the bank. Donations will be accepted to help support the local companies.

“Theatre Philadelphia has moved to a pay-what-you-can model for this year’s Theatre Week in order to ensure access for all to the performances. It’s a great opportunity for someone to try theater for the first time, or to try a new company or type of show,” Miller-White said. “Pay-what-you-can lets us reach out to diverse audiences around the city and bring in the next generation of theater goers looking to give theater a try. It also gives repeat theater-goers and theater supporters the opportunity to donate and support the work they are seeing based on their own capabilities and how moved they were. It is truly a win-win.”

From March 23 through April 2, the 11-day festival will celebrate artists, organizations and audiences that have made the Greater Philadelphia area one of the most vibrant theater regions in the country. Audience members can try something new from 50 events being offered from 41 different companies and artists, with more than 100 opportunities to see a show. It includes productions, readings, exclusive pre-sales and special events in Philadelphia, Delaware, South Jersey, Bucks County and the Main Line and western suburbs.

The annual festival is one of the largest signature festivals in Philadelphia and it expands by an extra day this year.

“Since 2018 I’ve participated in every Philly Theatre week,” said Chris Davis, who is bringing Sunday Best to this year’s celebration. “It’s helped me to attract new audiences, make connections with other theater makers, and is a very fun time. It’s like a mini-Fringe in the spring, and there’s no participation fee. Theatre Philadelphia works hard to showcase every show, from the big theaters to the small theaters, and therefore makes the playing field much more equitable, especially for small producers like myself.”

There will be a collection of classics, experimental theater, improv, readings, workshops and more.

“Val Dunn and I created a very early draft of this show for the first Philly Theatre Week and now it’s traveled around the world and undergone massive rewrites to become what it is today,” said Jenna Kuerzi, whose show Johnny Depp! (A Retrospective on Late-Stage Capitalism) returns this year. “Philly Theatre Week gave me, a small creator with little to no budget, an opportunity to succeed and produce alongside established institutions.”

Tickets and a full lineup of events are available on the Philly Theatre Week website, www.phillytheatreweek.com. Audiences can reserve tickets there. Some shows are offering limited pay-what-you-can tickets to each performance. Once Theatre Week tickets are sold out, audiences can contact the individual theater for tickets.