FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2013

In the midst of another record-breaking year of sold out performances and extended runs, Lantern Theater Company announces the productions that will comprise its 20th anniversary season in 2013/14. The season will begin with the Philadelphia premiere of Jane Austen's Emma in an adaptation by Michael Bloom, directed by Lantern Associate Artistic Director Kathryn MacMillan. During the holidays, the Lantern will present a world premiere adaptation of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, a co-creation by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon and Philadelphia creator/performer Sebastienne Mundheim. In the spring, Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon directs William Shakespeare's epic tragedy Julius Caesar. The season will also include a fourth play to be announced shortly.

"As we approach this major milestone, it seems natural to take a moment to reflect on what has passed before plunging ahead with renewed excitement," said Artistic Director and Co-Founder Charles McMahon, reflecting on the Lantern's 20th anniversary season. "Since we began the Lantern in 1994, the Philadelphia theater scene has grown tremendously – more than seemed imaginable twenty years ago. We are very proud to be part of the incredible story of theater in Philadelphia. Proud of the artists who got their start here, and of the audiences who have become part of our artistic family. Proud of the great plays we have introduced to Philadelphia, and of the fresh perspectives we have brought to the classics. We look forward to what's next."

Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th and Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia. More information is available at www.lanterntheater.org or (215) 829-0395. 4-Play Subscriptions and Flex Packages are now available for $72 – $136, with discounts available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more. Single tickets go on sale in August 2013.

LANTERN THEATER COMPANY'S 2013/14 MAINSTAGE SEASON

EMMA
Philadelphia Premiere
From the novel by Jane Austen
Adapted by Michael Bloom
Directed by Kathryn MacMillan

Jane Austen's beloved novel comes to life in a sparkling adaptation that celebrates her most maddening, endearing heroine.

A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES
World Premiere
From the poem by Dylan Thomas
Adapted by Charles McMahon and Sebastienne Mundheim
Directed by Charles McMahon

Dylan Thomas' comic poem and local creator/performer Sebastienne Mundheim's unique puppetry create a wondrous winter landscape where, through the eyes of a child, a day of play becomes a hero's odyssey of mythic proportions.

Sebastienne Mundheim is an interdisciplinary storyteller, installation artist and educator who has been creating arts-based interdisciplinary performance and community events for 20 years. Her works have been commissioned and/or presented by The Rosenbach Museum and Library, The University of Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College, The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, and others.

JULIUS CAESAR
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles McMahon
Politics and personal ambitions collide in Shakespeare's great tragedy, where whispered conspiracies and unlikely alliances set up a disastrous chain of events that bring down an emperor.

A fourth play will be announced shortly.

2013/14 SPECIAL EVENTS – LANTERN THEATER COMPANY: IN CONVERSATION (free for all ticket holders)

Directors: In Conversation — Audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the design and rehearsal process with pre-show Q&As with each play's director. (Week 1 Fridays, 7 p.m.)

Artists: In Conversation — This post-show discussion series offers an opportunity to talk with the creative artists involved with each production. (Week 1 and Week 2 Sundays, after 2 p.m. performance)

Open Captioned Performances — Captions that translate dialogue and other sounds will be displayed on an LED screen located near the stage. Open Captioning is helpful to the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as people whose second language is English. (Week 3 Fridays, 8 p.m. and Week 3 Saturdays, 2 p.m.)

About Lantern Theater Company
Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company is committed to an authentic and intimate exploration of the human spirit in our choice of classics, modern, and original works. The Lantern seeks to be a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, educating audience members about artistic and social issues, and employing theatrical language and techniques to enrich learning in the classroom. The Lantern reaches a loyal and growing audience of over 18,000 each season through three core programs: Mainstage Productions that are smart, fun, engaging, and connected to the modern world; Lantern Theater Company: In Conversation, its audience enrichment program that offers an insider's look at each production with Lantern artists and guest scholars; and Illumination, its innovative and award-winning education program that engages local students and adults in the world of theater and nurtures their artistic expression through in-school residencies, student matinee performances, and teaching artist training for after-school programs.

Philadelphia Weekly named the Lantern "Best Theater Company" in 2008, describing the company's selection of plays as "impressively diverse in genre and style." The Lantern has received 71 Barrymore Award nominations, winning 15 times including the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. Lantern Theater Company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue.