(Audience Testimonial for Macbeth in Stride)
Philadelphia Theatre Company believes a theater isn’t just a place to see great plays but should also be an integral part of the city’s social, cultural, and civic fabric.
For each season production, PTC seeks to engage audiences and the larger community by offering enriching events aimed at deepening our audience’s relationship to the material and broadening the reach of our programming. It’s our aim that these relationships continue to grow and evolve after the production, resulting in new and exciting artistic and civic opportunities.
See below for the different ways you can connect with PTC! And if you are interested in being a Community Partner, see below for more details!
Lady Day Black Theatre Night, Photo by Sylvia Zhang
Empathitrax Talkback, Photo by Tyler Dobrowksy
The Tattooed Lady, Photo by Ashley Smith (Wide Eye Studios)
COMMUNITY PARTNER ENGAGEMENT!
PTC offers several post-show discussions for each production, typically after an Affinity Night and on the second Sunday of the run. For a list of scheduled discussions, please consult the season calendar. Be on the lookout for additional talkbacks and discussions as well! Examples of the Philadelphia community who are a part of PTC talkbacks include: James Ijames, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, and Shekinah B., a multi-faceted artist and Executive Director of The Women’s Coalition for Empowerment Inc. (Macbeth in Stride); Kristel Oreto, owner and proprietor of Now and Forever Tattoo Shop (Tattooed Lady); Katie Samson, Education Director at the disability advocacy group Art-Reach (Cost of Living) among many many others!
For many marginalized patrons, the discomfort of being the sole minority among homogenous audiences can be a deterrent to attending and enjoying the theatre. PTC seeks to change the experience and accelerate audience diversification efforts radically. Affinity Nights will invite audience members of a particular affinity group (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc.) to attend a production as part of an audience composed primarily of affinity group members. Scheduled Affinity Nights can be found on the season calendar. If you would like information about Affinity Nights, please contact Anjoli Santiago at asantiago@philatheatreco.org
Community partners may also want to showcase their work in the lobby of the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. For example, To kick off the 2024-25 season, PTC partnered with Theatre Philadelphia and Sabriaya Shipley to create an interactive lobby display honoring Black women from the Philadelphia region to reflect the themes in Macbeth in Stride, which examines what it means to be an ambitious Black woman through the lens of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters, Lady Macbeth, while lifting contemporary Black female power, femininity, and desire. Enjoy the stellar work by Shipley here! If you want to explore whether your work has a thematic connection to one of the PTC shows, please contact Anjoli Santiago at asantiago@philatheatreco.org.
With Philadelphia Theatre Company’s 50th Anniversary coming in the 2024-25 season, we strive to make PTC an even more welcoming space and continue to develop a robust audience that reflects the bold diversity of Philadelphia.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO ENGAGE?
Are you an organization working with residents in your community and want to collaborate with Philadelphia Theatre Company to see how our programming and productions can welcome and elevate your impact? Let us know more about you and how we can engage! Contact Anjoli Santiago asantiago@philatheatreco.org
Are you interested in elevating and highlighting the Philadelphia voice within our season? PTC continually curates opportunities for moderators to guide talkbacks and discussions and to host gatherings to highlight the local charm echoed in the production themes. Let us know more about you and how we can collaborate!
PTC IS A PART OF PUBLIC WORKS!
PTC is a proud member of the Public Works National Affiliate Group, which means we represent Philadelphia Arts and Culture within an international network of theatres. PUBLIC WORKS, a major artistic program of the Public Theater, aims to restore and build community by connecting people and creating extraordinary works of art. Collaboration spearheaded by The Public in New York with monthly meetings including Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT), National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts – Weiwuying (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), Pittsburgh Public Theater (Pittsburgh, PA), Theatre Under The Stars (Houston, TX), Trinity Repertory Company (Providence, RI), Tulsa Performing Arts Center and Trust (Tulsa, OK).
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
PTC ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT
Philadelphia Theatre Company joins the theatre community in recognizing the oppressive systems and practices in our industry. We commit to achieving more equitable artistic and administrative representation and upholding a more rigorous expression of the company’s commitment to access and inclusion. The demands of We See You, White American Theater and the labor of the artists of color who composed those demands guide our efforts.
For over four decades, Philadelphia Theatre Company has been a female-led, predominantly white institution. Thanks to the social justice movement and We See You, we have embarked on a thorough assessment of our historical practices in the context of systemic racism, privilege and other forms of inequity.
In an effort to hold the Company accountable, a standing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access Committee of staff and board, the chair of which serves on the Board’s Executive Committee, is now in place working to institute equitable operational changes that will impact hiring, board composition, theatre making practices, budgeting, marketing, and programming. We recognize these are simply the beginning steps toward sustaining a fully equitable and anti-racist organization. We will share our progress by posting it to our website.