Special Events » Arden Theatre Company Blog

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!

Arts Administrators Night

On Tuesday, June 29, we hosted a special Arts Administrators Night at a performance of Sunday in the Park with George. Inspired by the subject matter of the play (and in particular, the characters in Act 2), we thought this was the perfect play to get together with our fellow colleagues that are “Putting it Together” in all facets of the Arts in the Philadelphia area. We were thrilled to have over 50 Arts Administrators join us for a casual dinner and then to watch the play.

Here are some pictures from the pre-show reception.

Be on the lookout for future Arts Administrator nights in the 2010/11 Season!

Bike to Theatre Night

Arden Theatre Company presents Philly’s First Bike to Theatre Night!

On July 2, ride your bike to the Arden, enjoy valet bike parking, and see Sunday in the Park with George at a discount!

For bicyclers only, we’re offering a Tandem Discount! Tickets are 2 for 1! And if your bicycle is just for one, tickets are ½ priced!

Please call 215.922.1122 to reserve tickets! Valet parking stub must be shown at the Arden box office to redeem tickets on the night of the performance. Performance begins at 8pm.

And remember, July 2 is First Friday in Old City so there will be fun festivities at the Arden and throughout the neighborhood.

Arden Theatre Company is located in Old City at 40 North 2nd Street
215.922.1122
www.ardentheatre.org

About the play: Inspired by Georges Seurat’s impressionist masterpiece, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Sunday in the Park with George celebrates the power of artistic creation and the journey through a changing landscape. It’s also about: bumbling adulterers, demanding bosses, competitive colleagues, nagging mothers, and catty shop girls all enjoying a pleasant Sunday in the park. And that’s just the first act! As for the second, there are 9 video projectors creating stunning visual effects.

About our Event Sponsor: Valet bike parking is provided by event sponsor Neighborhood Bike Works. Neighborhood Bike Works is a nonprofit educational organization in Philadelphia that seeks to increase opportunities for urban youth through bicycling, and promotes cycling as an environmentally-friendly means of transportation. In 1996, the organization began as Youth Cycle & Recycle, a program of The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. They organized as a separate non-profit in July 1999. Today, they hold classes at three permanent shops, satellite locations in Chester and Norristown, PA, and in several public schools and community centers.

Neighborhood Bike Works
www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
215.386.0316

Granfalloon 2010

The Arden’s biennial gala, the Granfalloon, took place on Friday, June 11. Over 300 guests gathered at the Comcast Center, the tallest building in Philadelphia, for a rousing evening of cocktails, dinner and dancing. The event was held in honor of N. Peter Hamilton, a longtime Arden board members and supporter of Arden Children’s Theatre and Arden for All.

The evening began on the 43^rd floor in Ralph’s Café where guests enjoyed the exquisite view, as well as small plate dining, cocktails, and a silent auction.

Guests then moved down to the Winter Garden lobby, where special guests Joilet Harris, Steve Pacek and Alex Keiper performed with rhythm and blues band, LeRoy Hawkes and the Hipnotics. Guests enjoyed the music and sumptuous desserts, bid on the live and silent auctions and danced the night away.

Granfalloon 2010 grossed $186,000 for Arden Theatre Company! Enjoy these photos from the event!

Thanks to all those that supported Granfalloon 2010!

Seurat Painting Comes to Life

For First Friday on June 4, we staged a living version of Georges Seurat’s painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte right on Filbert Street! A group of volunteers, under the direction of Arden Professional Apprentice Brittany Howard, wore modern clothes and struck the poses from the iconic Seurat painting that inspired Stephen Sondheim to write Sunday in the Park with George, currently on stage at the Arden.

Here are some pictures of the process, the result and all the people that stopped to watch the painting!

After the living painting was complete, we had our final Young Friends event of the season! Young professionals and tableau participants gathered for a pre-show party sponsored by Triumph Brewing Company. Then, everyone watched Sunday in the Park with George on the Arden’s stage!

Here are some pictures from our Young Friends party!