Special Events » Arden Theatre Company Blog

Opening Night of Superior Donuts

With the smell of fresh doughnuts filling the Arden’s lobby, we kicked off the opening night performance of Superior Donuts on Wednesday, March 9th. Members of the Sylvan Society enjoyed cocktails and a buffet dinner courtesy of Gigi Restaurant, and had the opportunity to mingle with Rogelio Martinez, playwright of Wanamaker’s Pursuit, Donuts director Ed Sobel, and other members of the Donuts design team.

Following the 7pm opening performance, audience members leapt to their feet during the curtain call. After the show, guests enjoyed a rousing post-show reception with members of the cast and devoured doughnuts delivered fresh from Frangelli’s Bakery, our doughnut sponsor for the production.

Here are some photos from the evening!

Arden at the Rosenbach

Often finding ways to collaborate, the Rosenbach Museum and Library and the Arden partnered once again on a joint donor event held on Tuesday, March 1^st. Members of the Arden’s Sylvan Society and the Rosenbach’s Delancey Society gathered at the museum to take in the rare collection of theatre pieces, featured exclusively for this event.

Derick Dreher, Director of the Rosenbach and Terry Nolen, Producing Artistic Director at the Arden gave opening remarks. They welcomed Elizabeth Fuller, Rosenbach librarian, to showcase the theatre collection which included a rare second edition of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, published in 1619, and the libretto and music of Porgy and Bess, signed by the Gershwins and other influential members of the production.

One of the most exciting pieces of the exhibition was an early draft of Eugene O’Neill’s stageplay Anna Christie, with extensive revisions in his own hand. Members had the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at these pieces before enjoying a wine and cheese reception with guests including Grace Gonglewski (Josie Hogan from the Arden’s recent production of A Moon for the Misbegotten) and Rogelio Martinez (playwright of Wanamaker’s Pursuit, which will premiere at the Arden in April).

Here are some photos from the evening!

Opening Night of A Moon for the Misbegotten

By Angela DuRoss, Development Director

Following the wintery snowfall early last week, the Arden kicked off our production of A Moon for the Misbegotten on January 12^th. 200 guests gathered for the opening of the first Eugene O’Neill play ever produced at the Arden. Members of the Sylvan Society sampled the tastings of the microbrewery, Triumph Brewing Company, at a pre-show cocktail reception. Guests celebrated in the Arden lobby following the performance, sharing light bites and wine with cast members, designers and Arden friends. Board members of the Charlotte Cushman Foundation were also in attendance, as the foundation provided support for Grace Gonglewski in her role as Josie in the production.

The Borrowers Opening Night

By Angela DuRoss, Development Director

Over 200 kids and their families filled the Arden’s lobby on Saturday evening, greeted by friendly Arden staff members donning blue Borrowers t-shirts. It must be opening night of Arden Children’s Theatre!

The Borrowers opening night party included kid-friendly fare (hot dogs and chicken nuggets, of course!) courtesy of Catering By Design and a fabulous cake shaped like a boot created especially for the party by the Whipped Bake Shop. The Arden welcomed community partners including our neighbors, The Clay Studio, providing a potting wheel demonstration, and Eagles Youth Partnership, who sent their Storybook Man to read select scene from The Borrowers novel by Mary Norton.

Our Education department helped kids to make their own Borrowers puppets and facilitated a fun scavenger hunt where families searched the Arden’s lobby for “borrowed items.” Following the performance, The Franklin Fountain provided an ice cream treat for everyone – homemade vanilla ice cream with tiny gingerbread “Borrowers” to go on top! It was a fun-filled evening to kick of Children’s Theatre season at the Arden and reminded us just how fun our theatre can be when it’s filled with hundreds of kids.

Here are photos of the festivities!

The Scene at Threepenny Opera

The Scene is a new program here at the Arden to introduce people to our theatre in a fun, low-key setting. We host a pre-show party, provide a discounted ticket to the show, and then invite audience, cast and crew to join us after the play at a local hot spot.

Our first event of The Scene was on Friday, October 15 for The Threepenny Opera. QBBQ + Tequila served us a tasty spread of tacos and pulled pork sandwiches, along with margaritas. After the show, staff, cast and audience members gathered at Plough & the Stars for drinks and dancing!

Check out these photos from the pre-show party and learn more about upcoming Scene events in 2011!

Sylvan Society performs a Brecht play

On Tuesday, October 19 our Sylvan Society worked with Associate Artistic Director Ed Sobel to perform He Who Says No, a play by Bertolt Brecht. This play is one of his Lesson Plays (Lehrstucke), which was a radical theatrical form he developed in the 1920s and 1930s. These works remove the separation from the actors and audience, shifting the focus from the product to the process. Learn more about this theatrical style and see the Sylvan Society on stage in this video recap of the event!

Threepenny Opera Opening Night

Mackie’s back in town! The Arden opened a raucous production of The Threepenny Opera on Wednesday, October 6. The opening night celebration began at 5:30pm with a Sylvan Society cocktail party at home of Don and Lynn Haskin. The Haskins, longtime supporters of the Arden, live in Old City with a fabulous view that includes the Arden!

400 guests gathered for the opening night performance and celebrated after the show with a delicious cheese and dessert spread by Starr Events Catering and libations by Hatboro Beverages.

Spirits were high – both for a fabulous production and a win by our Philllies (a victory which was announced to the audience during intermission!) Special thanks to Harmelin Media, the Arden’s Opening Night sponsor.

Ghost-Writer reading with the Sylvan Society

Members of the Sylvan Society gathered on Tuesday, August 10th, just a week into rehearsals for Ghost-Writer, the new Michael Hollinger play which will kick off our 23rd season. They shared a family-style dinner courtesy of Delicatessen in the Arden lobby and Independence Foundation Studio, complete with homemade desserts from the Arden staff. The culmination of the evening was the opportunity to hear the cast read through the script of this brand new play. Sylvan members will be invited to see the full production on opening night, scheduled for September 15th.

Photos from Bike to Theatre Night

The Arden was proud to host our city’s first ever Bike to Theatre Night on Friday, July 2. On this sunny summer night, we had a nice turnout of cyclists from all parts of Philadelphia. They received discounted tickets to Sunday in the Park with George, complimentary valet bike parking from Neighborhood Bike Works, and a free bike bell from Pabst Blue Ribbon!

Here are some photos of our fabulous bikers!

We hope to schedule Bike to Theatre Nights for future productions, so stay tuned for more information!

First Friday, July 2010

On Friday, July 2 we had beautiful weather for a First Friday in Old City!

We invited anyone to come into the Arden’s lobby to “Create Your Own Sunday,” inspired by Georges Seurats’ Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Using paint, chalk and pencils, over 200 visitors drew depictions of their own Sunday afternoons.

Guests also enjoyed complimentary desserts from Sugar Philly, a scrumptious dessert truck who parked on Filbert Street to sell their treats, and beer from Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Here are some pictures from the evening!

We hope you’ll visit us for a future First Friday!