Lantern Theater Company Announces 2018/19 Season

Lantern Theater Company announces its upcoming 2018/19 mainstage season, which will include an ambitious and eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, and new work for the stage. The five plays that comprise the company's 2018/19 season include the Philadelphia premiere of Hapgood, Tom Stoppard's fascinating and fast-paced tale of Russian spies and nuclear physics at the height of the Cold War; the Philadelphia premiere of David Ives' poetic farce, The Heir Apparent; Betrayal by Harold Pinter, a sophisticated drama about love, sex, marriage, and friendship; William Shakespeare's dark comedy Measure for Measure; and Minors, a world premiere musical by Philadelphia artists Kittson O'Neill and Tony Award-winner Robert Kaplowitz. This new Lantern-commissioned work represents the company's first foray into musical theater and is inspired by the notorious "kids for cash" scandal in which corrupt judges sentenced youths to for-profit juvenile detention centers in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

"Great stories, great writers, great language. For our 2018/19 season we have selected five plays that are artistically ambitious and characterized by the complex and satisfying storytelling that has become the Lantern's trademark," said Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon. "With works by Tom Stoppard, David Ives, Harold Pinter, and William Shakespeare, the Lantern will bring to life great stories by great writers, while also introducing an important new piece by two highly talented Philadelphia-based theater artists."

"The Lantern's upcoming 25th anniversary in September 2018 will punctuate a period of tremendous growth," said Lantern Executive Director Stacy Maria Dutton. "We vowed to produce a season as artistically bold as our audience has come to expect. Our theater is intimate but our plays are about big ideas."

Season subscriptions and flex packages go on sale today starting at $105 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Single tickets go on sale in August 2018. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Sts. in Center City Philadelphia.

Lantern Theater Company's 2018/19 Mainstage Season

HAPGOOD

Philadelphia Premiere

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Peter DeLaurier

September 6 - October 7, 2018

Opening Night: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at 7 p.m.

A brilliant woman fights to keep her place in a profession dominated by men. In this mesmerizing play of Stoppard's artistic maturity, Russian espionage collides with particle physics and absolutely nothing is what it appears to be.

THE HEIR APPARENT

Philadelphia Premiere

By David Ives

Directed by M. Craig Getting

November 8 - December 9, 2018

Opening Night: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 7 p.m.

When the family of a wealthy geezer gets wind of his imminent demise, an exuberant and hilarious struggle breaks out to get hold of his estate. From the playwright who brought you New Jerusalem, The Liar, and Venus in Fur, this modern farce in the tradition of Molière crackles with humor, poetry, and romance.

BETRAYAL

By Harold Pinter

Directed by Kathryn MacMillan

January 10 - February 10, 2019

Opening Night: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 7 p.m.

When the heart wants what the heart wants, we tell each other - and ourselves - the lies needed to get it. This sophisticated drama is a devastatingly honest exploration of love, sex, marriage, and friendship.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Charles McMahon

March 14 - April 21, 2019

Opening Night: Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 7 p.m.

When the power of the State is put in the service of one man's lust, Shakespeare creates one of his greatest heroines to combat the abuse. Isabella's courage and brilliance are called upon to fight back against power, sexual blackmail, and corruption in this major play in the Bard's canon.

MINORS

A World Premiere Musical

By Kittson O'Neill and Robert Kaplowitz

May 23 - June 23, 2019

Opening Night: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 7 p.m.

Commissioned and developed through the Lantern's New Works Program, this compelling new work of musical theater brings to life the stories of the youth sent to a private prison by corrupt judges. A rock drama in the great polemical tradition of Brecht and Weill, Minors is the inaugural work of Kittson O'Neill and Tony Award-winning composer and sound designer Robert Kaplowitz.

About Lantern Theater Company

Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company launched its current 2017/18 season with a record number of subscribers and a growing community of theater artists engaged in its productions and audience enrichment events. The Lantern's innovative Theater Artist Fair Pay Initiative was featured in American Theatre magazine as a leading national success story for increasing artist compensation through a combination of fundraising and higher ticket sales. The Lantern seeks to be a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, engaging audience members on artistic and social issues, and employing theatrical language and techniques to enrich learning in the classroom. Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has been recognized with 96 nominations and 19 awards, including the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. The Lantern's 2017/18 season continues with The Tempest by William Shakespeare and the Philadelphia premiere of Don't Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti and adapted by Robin Hawdon. More information is online at www.lanterntheater.org.

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