Lantern Theater Company Announces IN CONVERSATION with Michael W. Brooks and Charles McMahon

As part of its ongoing In Conversation Series of fascinating discussions with theater artists and special guests, Lantern Theater Company will host noted drama scholar Michael W. Brooks and Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon for In Conversation: The Mirror to Nature on Sunday, October 1, 2017, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Presented in conjunction with the Lantern's current production of Lolita Chakrabarti's Red Velvet, the program will focus on how theater-making evolved during the 19th century, with particular focus on the shift from stylized to more naturalistic acting and how casting has come to better reflect audiences. The conversation immediately follows the 2:00 p.m. performance on Sunday, October 1, and is free to the general public with ticket purchase. Members of the press are invited to attend; advance reservations are required.

About the Panelists

A retired professor of English literature at West Chester University, Michael W. Brooks' In Conversation program about George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Warren's Profession was a highlight of the Lantern's 2016/17 season. Brooks' works include John Ruskin and Victorian Architecture and Subway City: Riding the Trains, Reading New York, which traces the development of the subway from its inception, including how it has been represented in art and film, recounting women's experiences of the subway, and examining its connection to the city's racial tensions.

Charles McMahon co-founded Lantern Theater Company in 1994 and serves as artistic director in addition to directing, acting, and writing for the company. He has directed all but one of the Lantern's Shakespeare productions over the past 23 seasons, including Richard III (Barrymore Award, Outstanding Production of a Play), The Comedy of Errors (Barrymore nomination, Outstanding Direction of a Play), and recent productions of Coriolanus, As You Like It, and Othello. Other Lantern directing credits include The Taming of the Shrew; Henry V; New Jerusalem; Romeo & Juliet; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Henry IV, Part I; Hamlet; La Ronde (also translator and adapter); Much Ado About Nothing; King Lear; The House of Bernarda Alba; and A Doll's House. McMahon's original play Oscar Wilde: From the Depths was produced to critical acclaim in 2016. McMahon also co-created the Lantern's original adaptation of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, which was honored with two 2014 Barrymore Awards and five nominations, including a nomination for Outstanding New Play. He is a graduate of New York University's theater department where he studied acting and directing.

In Conversation: The Mirror to Nature immediately follows the Sunday, October 1, 2:00 p.m. performance of Red Velvet and is free to the general public with ticket purchase. Tickets are $20 - $39 and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Student tickets are $15 in advance; $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID. Discounts are also available for theater industry professionals ($10 in advance or at the door), seniors 65 and up, groups of 10 or more, and U.S. military personnel. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Sts. in Center City Philadelphia.

About Lantern Theater Company

Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company is launching its twenty-fourth season with a record number of subscribers, its largest-ever operating budget at $1.5 million, 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 recently 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 received 96 nominations and 19 awards, including the 2009 Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service Award for its education program, Illumination. More information is online at www.lanterntheater.org.

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