Philadelphia Theatre Company (PTC) is a leading regional theatre company that produces, develops, and presents entertaining and imaginative contemporary theatre focused on the American experience. PTC balances its Philadelphia roots with a national point of view that combines a taste for adventure with a dedication to new American plays and musicals.

Philadelphia Theatre Company is dedicated to presenting the Philadelphia and world premieres of works by contemporary playwrights with an emphasis on American drama. We seek to develop an audience of open-minded theatregoers across cultural, ethnic, and social lines by producing drama that is at once challenging, entertaining and imaginatively staged.

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company has presented 201 world and Philadelphia premieres. More than 50 percent of PTC’s world premieres have moved on to New York and other major cities, helping to earn Philadelphia a national reputation as a hub for new play development. In 2007, PTC was instrumental in expanding Philadelphia’s thriving cultural corridor by opening the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on the Avenue of the Arts.

During the 2020-21 Season, Philadelphia Theatre Company commissioned its first show under Producing Artistic Director Paige Price’s leadership: a new musical from Max Vernon and Erin Courtney called The Tattooed Lady. Planned for its mainstage world premiere production in the fall of 2022, The Tattooed Lady was developed with and will be directed by Ellie Heyman.

Philadelphia Theatre Company has long held the contemporary American playwright at the core of its mission. Founded in 1974 as The Philadelphia Company by Robert Hedley and Jean Harrison, Philadelphia Theatre Company was the first of our city’s ambitious young performing arts companies to produce bold new work, while inviting audiences to participate in the development process. Under the direction of Sara Garonzik from 1982-2017, and now under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Paige Price, Philadelphia Theatre Company has introduced more than 150 new plays and musicals to audiences in Philadelphia, New York, and around the country, establishing the Company’s national reputation for artistic quality, risk-taking and diverse programming.

Philadelphia Theatre Company extends the intellectual life of each production with our Community Voices events, Playwise Magazine, and guest lectures.

For a full list of Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production history, click here.

World premieres produced by Philadelphia Theatre Company include:

Philadelphia Theatre Company has received numerous “Best Theatre Company” citations from media sources such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and Philadelphia City Paper. Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, Philadelphia Theatre Company has received 201 nominations and 55 awards.