With our milestone 30th anniversary season now behind us and our 2024/25 season well underway, it's an exciting time here at the Lantern.

Your resounding feedback over the past year makes it clear that the Lantern's artistic programming has never been stronger. Thanks to those who have shared your thoughts, including four-year subscriber Bruce B., who wrote: "I continue to fall in love with this theater every time I come see a show." At the 2023 Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Philadelphia Theatre, our production of The Royale by Marco Ramirez was recognized with three awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play. We were honored with nine 2024 Barrymore Award nominations, spanning all four productions in our 2023/24 season. And we welcomed 6,000 local students and their teachers at Lantern performances over the past year, sharing the magic of live theater with a whole new generation of theatergoers.

We continue to fundraise for our Mt. Airy Theater, and we are aiming to complete the renovation in time to launch artistic and educational programming during our 2025/26 season. If you would like to learn more about this exciting project, please reach out to Stacy Dutton anytime at 610.420.1121 or sdutton@lanterntheater.org.

The Lantern needs your support to flourish. Since reopening from Covid, we have continued to invest heavily in our work on stage, in our education programming for our city's students and teachers, and in your experience at St. Stephen's Theater – including improvements to seating in the performance space and a welcoming new Box Office in the lobby. We have expanded our marketing efforts to attract new audiences, and we have increased our outreach to strengthen our relationships in the community and with our long-term patrons.

Even so, the four-plus years since the pandemic closed theaters in March 2020 have been challenging for the performing arts. Audiences have been slow to return to live theater, and ticket sales for most performing arts organizations – including the Lantern – remain below pre-Covid levels. This has created an operating budget gap that can be closed only with your help.

When you are in the audience and when you support the work on stage, YOU are the key to the Lantern's success. We ask you now to give generously to support your theater company.

With deepest appreciation,

Questions? Please contact our Development Team at development@lanterntheater.org. Thank you for supporting the Lantern!