People’s Light Celebrates its Golden 50th

People’s Light, the acclaimed Malvern-based theater company, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a season embracing its rich history. This nonprofit professional theater has become a cornerstone of our area’s cultural landscape, renowned for its artists, productions and innovative youth programs. More than just a venue, People’s Light fosters a community of connections and celebrates our shared humanity through the power of theater, as a civic forum and artistic laboratory.

Five decades of presenting over 450 productions, including 171 world and regional premiers, deserve a little history. In the beginning, the idea of the theater began after Dick Keeler, Ken Marini, and Meghan and Danny Fruchter left Media’s Hedgerow Theater in 1974 to work both on and off the stage. Initially performing at Strode’s Mill, a historic grist mill in East Bradford Township, then at the Center for Performing Arts in Chester Springs, People’s Light & Theatre Company (now just People’s Light) found a home at its seven-acre Malvern campus in 1979.

The theater company performs both classics and contemporary plays as well as commissions and new work in its original 340-seat theater and a 160-seat space built in 1986. As Chester County’s only year-round theater, People’s Light operates from a campus that includes offices, scenic shops, rehearsal halls, classrooms, the Fern & Fable restaurant and the Farmhouse, a banquet and catering facility. People’s Light boasts a dedicated team of 100 full- and part-time artists and staff, many living within 15 miles of the theater.

Each season, this cultural and civic center with theater at its core hosts nearly 200 guest artists from Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C. and beyond. Its $6.4 million annual budget lets People’s Light captivate and connect with 80,000 patrons, guests, students and members of its diverse community, including providing relaxed performances in a “shush-free” zone, allowing individuals with sensory sensitivities to enjoy the shows.

Join the 50th anniversary by attending this season’s performances, including the beloved holiday Peter Panto, A Raisin in the Sun and Little Shop of Horrors, plus “The High Five-O,” a special series of celebratory events with performances by community artists.

Come support 50 more years of live theater!

People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. For more information, 610-644-3500; PeoplesLight.org.