Lantern Theater Company is a not-for-profit
regional theater founded in 1994 in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. Led by founding artistic director Charles McMahon and managing director Anne Shuff, the Lantern produces a mix of classics, modern, and original works for the stage, an audience enrichment series that provides an insider's look at each production, and ''Illumination'', its Barrymore Award-winning education program that engages local students and adults in the world of theater and nurtures their artistic expression through in-school residencies, student matinee performances, and teaching artist training for after school programs.
Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at
St. Stephen's Theater at 10th and Ludlow Streets in
Center City since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue.
In 2014 the company was criticized for its use of "
yellowface
Portrayals of East Asians in American film and theatre has been a subject of controversy. These portrayals have frequently reflected an ethnocentric perception of East Asians rather than realistic and authentic depictions of East Asian cultures, ...
" and "
reappropriation
In linguistics, reappropriation, reclamation, or resignification is the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change (i.e. ...
" in their production of ''
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
''. The production was set in
feudal Japan
The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inven ...
, yet employed no actors of Asian descent. Local Japanese actor Makoto Hirano voiced his concerns, which were echoed by others in the Asian-American performing arts community.
[Cofta, Mark]
"Review: Julius Caesar"
'' Philadelphia City Paper'' (February 20, 2014)
Awards and honors
''
Philadelphia Weekly
''Philadelphia Weekly'' (''PW'') is a website based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, a ...
'' named the Lantern the "Best Theatre Company" in 2008, describing the company's selection of plays as "impressively diverse in genre and style." Since the inception of the
Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theater
The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre is an annual, nationally recognized award program by Theatre Philadelphia for professional theater productions in the Greater Philadelphia area. Each season culminates in the Fall with an awards cerem ...
in 1995, the Lantern has received 71 nominations and 15 awards, including eight nominations for Outstanding Overall Production of Play over the past seven years - more than any other theater company in the Philadelphia region. It also received the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service.
Barrymore Award wins:
* 1998 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play –
Maggie Siff
Maggie Siff (born June 21, 1974) is an American actress. Her most notable television roles have included department store heiress Rachel Menken Katz on the AMC drama '' Mad Men'', Dr. Tara Knowles on the FX drama '' Sons of Anarchy'' for which ...
, ''
Ghosts
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...
''
* 1998 Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play –
Jarlath Conroy
Jarlath Conroy (born 30 September 1944) is an Irish theatre, film and television actor. Since 1971, he has become a successful actor appearing in film and television, including ''NYPD Blue'', ''Law & Order'', and '' Law & Order: Criminal Inten ...
, ''
The Steward of Christendom
''The Steward of Christendom'' is a 1995 play written by Irish playwright Sebastian Barry. It focuses on Thomas Dunne, loosely based on Barry's great-grandfather, the former chief superintendent of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, now (1932) conf ...
''
* 1999 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play – Joe Guzman, ''Lovers & Executioners''
* 2000 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play – E. Ashley Izard, ''
Beyond Therapy
''Beyond Therapy'' is a play by Christopher Durang.
Synopsis
This farcical comedy focuses on Prudence and Bruce, two Manhattanites who are seeking stable romantic relationships with the help of their psychiatrists, each of whom suggests their p ...
''
* 2002 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play – Hazel Bowers, ''
The Birthday Party''
* 2004 Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play – Peter DeLaurier, ''
Underneath the Lintel ''Underneath the Lintel'' is a play by Glen Berger that premièred in 2001. The sole character—the Librarian—embarks on a quest to find out who anonymously returned a library book that is 113 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin of the ...
''
* 2004 Outstanding Ensemble in a Play - ''
The Comedy of Errors
''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...
''
* 2004 Outstanding Choreography/Movement – Aaron Cromie, ''The Comedy of Errors''
* 2006 Outstanding Overall Production of a Play - ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...
''
* 2006 Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play - Peter Pryor,
Richard III (play)
''Richard III'' is a play by William Shakespeare. It was probably written c. 1592–1594. It is labelled a history in the First Folio, and is usually considered one, but it is sometimes called a tragedy, as in the quarto edition. ''Richard III ...
* 2008 Outstanding Direction of a Play - Dan Kern, ''
Skylight
A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes.
History
Open ...
''
* 2008 Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play - Genevieve Perrier in ''Skylight''
* 2009 Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service
* 2010 Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play - Cheryl Williams, ''
The Breath of Life''
* 2010 Outstanding Original Music - Christopher Colucci, ''The Breath of Life''
See also
*
References
Notes
External links
Lantern Theater CompanyTheatre Philadelphia - The Barrymore Awards
{{Philadelphia Theaters
Theatre companies in Philadelphia
Theatres in Philadelphia