The Lantern's 2026/27 season is off to a strong artistic start with a beautiful and moving production of Summer, 1976 by David Auburn, directed by Kate Galvin. We are now opening The Weir by Conor McPherson, directed by Matt Pfeiffer and featuring a cast of beloved Lantern actors, including Dave Johnson, Anthony Lawton, Campbell O'Hare, Ian Merrill Peakes, and the Lantern's own Artistic Director Charles McMahon.

The Lantern's Board of Directors has pledged a $150,000 match – our biggest match ever – to inspire increased giving from individual Lantern patrons this year. We rely on contributions to cover 70% of the Lantern's $2.1 million operating budget. With foundation and government grants to the arts declining both nationally and locally, we must ask you to raise your engagement and generosity.

Our strategy to serve our community is clear: produce plays in Center City and in Northwest Philadelphia and expand our artistic and educational programming. This year, we will provide Lantern residencies on curricular works of literature to at least 600 local middle school and high school students and host over 2,000 students at Lantern performances. Half of those student tickets will be free to school groups.

The renovation of Lantern Northwest Theater in Mt. Airy is progressing rapidly, and the construction phase will be completed by New Year's. Lantern production and technical staff will spend a few months finishing the venue by installing the lighting grid, building seating risers and the box office, etc. We will host a series of free "soft-opening" artistic and community programs in the spring, followed followed by the Grand Opening in fall 2027 with the Philadelphia premiere of a major American play set in Germantown.

We remain extremely active in identifying a space in Center City to develop into a beautiful and fully accessible new theater where we can continue to produce our mainstage season of plays. We expect to have exciting news to share in the new year about our search.

YOU are the key to the Lantern's success – when you are in the audience and when you support the work on stage. We ask you now to take advantage of this exciting Challenge Match and give generously to support your theater company.

With deep appreciation,

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