Lantern Theater Company

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, Lantern Theater Company has emerged as one of the most successful theaters in Philadelphia. Each season, the company produces four mainstage productions, a variety of special events, and education-and-outreach programs in schools throughout greater Philadelphia. The company is committed to being a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting dialogue, educating audience members, and employing the language of theater to enrich classroom learning. The company has been in residence at the St. Stephen's Theater in the Center City area of Philadelphia since 1996. Since the inception of Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, Lantern Theater Company has received 54 nominations and 12 awards, including three nominations for Excellence in Theater Education in the last three seasons. Recent awards have included Outstanding Overall Production of a Play for Richard III; Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play for Peter Pryor in Richard III; Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play for Genevieve Perrier in Skylight; and Outstanding Direction of a Play for Dan Kern for Skylight.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, Lantern Theater Company will present morning student matinees of their mainstage production of Henry IV, Part I. In support of this initiative, the company's experienced teachers will offer an extensive curriculum to Philadelphia-area schools, including lesson plans for classroom use and in-classroom residences to inform and enrich the experience of seeing the production. Lesson plans will be devoted to exploring the poetry and imagery that characterize Shakespeare's work, understanding the design elements that contribute to a production, and promoting discussion of the play's themes, and will be modified to suit each particular classroom's level. In addition, the company will provide a post-production session held at the theater with the cast and their education staff, offering students a chance to interact with the artists and to participate in a discussion to understand the play more deeply.

Visit them at: www.lanterntheater.org