MILESTONES
The following milestones have been passed on to us from various sources over the years. If you would like to amend or correct any of them, please contact us.
February 24, 1947
Langhorne Players was founded at the home of the late Edward and Katherine Macon, by a group of 30 would-be thespians that had answered an advertised invitation in the Delaware Valley Advance.
May 16, 1947
With a loan of $200 from the Langhorne Men’s Club, the Players staged their first public production, “George Washington Slept Here” in Penndel’s old Casino Theater.
February – June 1948
Held the first full season with “Boy Meets Girl,” “You Can’t Take It With You,” and “Personal Appearance” in the Yardley Community House.
July 1948 – May 1950
Negotiations were completed for the lease of an old barn on the Morris property, Fieldstone Farm and $1,000 was borrowed for its conversion. The space was not large enough to hold the growing productions or audiences so the theater borrowed $1,000 to renovate a space at Trainor’s Farm.
May 1951
Langhorne Players purchase a record, “The Mississippi Suite” by Ferde Grofe, played it on a borrowed phonograph and used their new theme song for the first time as the Trainor property’s Barn doors swung open for the revival of “George Washington Slept Here.”
February – December 1953
The first and only season to include more than six productions.
The production of “Kind Lady” was the first in our benefit performance series.
The expanded season enabled the theater to borrow more money to enlarge the parking lot and replace the roof of the building.
February – November 1954
It was during this season that the lobby art exhibit was inaugurated. In the late 50s the space was called the Horse Stall Galleries and featured some of Bucks County’s most prominent artists.
February – November 1955
Langhorne Players received its first load of New York TV set pieces. (Maxwell House Coffee Hour, “Hit Parade,” “Omnibus,” “Studio One” and “U.S. Steel Hour” were labels commonly seen on their scenery in those days.)
A full schedule of plays for the following year was announced after the last show and season tickets went on sale for the first time.
November 1968
Long-time member and revered volunteer Betty Davis made her directing debut with the final show of the season, “Nature’s Way” by Herman Wouk.
1970
Langhorne Players loses the Trainor property barn to Core Creek Park, and a search for a new location began. A temporary home was found in the Yardley Community Center until 1976
December 1975
Langhorne Players met with controversy when they produced “The Boys in The Band” by Mark Crowley, a play that centers around homosexuality.
1976
After numerous meetings with the Department of Parks, Langhorne Players with the help of member Betty Davis and State Senator Jack Renniger, received a 25-year lease for the Spring Garden Mill in Tyler State Park – our current home.
1980
Langhorne Players produces its first full season of plays in its new home in the Spring Garden Mill in Tyler State Park.
September 1999
Hurricane Floyd came to Pennsylvania and flooded the theater, forcing us to cancel the final show of the season. Volunteers came out in droves, and the Players’ took out loans totaling $30,000 to clean out and repair the mill. We reopened in 2000. The house left wall of the audience has a line to showing the level the water and debris that was in the theater; a memory of trials past.
2003
Theater space was dedicated to long-time member Betty Davis, and named the Betty Davis Memorial Theater.
2004
Voted Best of Bucks County, by the Bucks County Courier Times Reader Poll.
2007
April 27th Langhorne Players opened its 60th season.
2011
Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee packed a one-two punch a week apart, washing away the parking lots and flooding the Mill. Over 200 volunteer hours were not enough to keep the curtain up on "Rabbit Hole," which was forced to halt production mid-way through its run.
"Showin' Off, A Benefit for Langhorne Players," is held for the first time.
Fun Facts
Plays originally ran for two weekends Friday and Saturday night only.
The Friday and Saturday evening 8:30 curtain time has been a tradition since the theater’s inception.
In the early years single tickets were sold for $1.50, Season Subscriptions for $6.00.
In 1959 benefits could be purchased for $150.00 for 300 tickets (a full house). Today our benefits are still reasonably priced.
Membership meetings and notes of who attended opening nights were regularly reported in local newspapers in society and entertainment pages.
Many of our current subscribers have been with us for over 12 years, some as many as 22 years.