About Langhorne Players
Langhorne Players is a non-profit 501(c)(3), volunteer community theater company that produces unusual, thought-provoking works meant to engender post-theater conversation. Open auditions are held for each show and the company enthusiastically welcomes new volunteers and talent. Productions take place in a 73-seat theater in the 200-year-old Spring Garden Mill located in Tyler State Park, Newtown, Bucks County, PA.
Founding the Company and Finding a Home
Langhorne Players Theater Company was founded in 1947 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania by the late Ed Macon. Following initial efforts to establish the company from an old rustic barn, the Players moved around Bucks County several times in an effort to find a permanent home. They finally settled into the Spring Garden Mill in Tyler State Park in 1976. To make the rustic Mill space into a theater, the company had to install a plumbing system, ticket booth, refreshment stand, stage, lighting booth, dressing room, and a scenic shop. Luckily, the early members were talented in electrical work, carpentry, and plumbing, and this can-do attitude has continued to characterize Langhorne Players' efforts through the years.
Photo above: 1950s Langhorne Players Theater Company
Critical Acclaim and Commitment to a Quality Company
Although the faces have changed, there is a spirit of dedication and community service that has always been at the heart of the Langhorne Players. In play programs from as far back as the company's first production, evidence of one mission remains constant: The commitment to excellence in theater.
Critically acclaimed, Langhorne Players has built a reputation for expert sets, costumes and lighting, as well as strong directing and casting. Seats to the theater frequently sell out, not because we perform recognizable plays, but because we select new, interesting, or unusual works from the finest Broadway and Off-Broadway playwrights. Our theater company members consider themselves lucky to have the trust of the audience that their experience will be well worth the cost of their seats.
Through the work of volunteers, this theater has seen more than a half-century's worth of actors, directors, technicians, stage crews, box office personnel, and refreshment servers come and go. One thing has been the motivating force for all their efforts: Pride in having been a part of this magnificent theater company.
Dedicated to Theater and Dedicating a Theater
In 2003, the theater space was dedicated in the name of a beloved member, the late Betty Davis (not the Betty Davis, but our Betty Davis). Fulfilling the dreams of our founding members, the Betty Davis Memorial Theater was transformed into an artistic space where audience members are treated to an intimate experience, sitting comfortably in velvet-covered seats. The theater is air-conditioned and accommodates 73 patrons per performance.
Community Outreach
The front lobby is transformed into a small art gallery that changes artists with each new show. Through our Community Outreach program, this gallery supports and displays the paintings, photography and craft work of local artists, reflecting the history of Bucks County as a welcoming home to creative people of all stripes. Please contact us if you would like to be considered for one of our Lobby Artists.
Our Signature Snack: Cheese Curls
During intermission, Langhorne Players provides soft drinks and salty snacks to our patrons. (Drop a dollar in the jar to offset costs if you like.) The basket that empties the fastest is always the Cheese Curls. Patrons tell us they would never have them in their homes for fear they would eat the whole bag, but they happily indulge when at the Mill. A few years back, we even created a t-shirt as a fundraiser featuring the slogan, "Come for the Cheese Curls. Stay for the Show." You're welcome to make your fingers orange at the next performance.