On Stage

APT's July 2018 production of The Ugly Duckling
Photo by Ken Ek — APT’s July 2018 production of *The Ugly Duckling*
Photo by Ken Ek

Allentown Public Theatre has presented productions, staged readings, workshops, and community performances in theatres, churches, schools, museums, parks, cafés, and other public spaces throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Our work has included productions for adults, children, and families, along with performances and readings addressing social justice, racial equity, gender identity, criminal justice, addiction, and other issues affecting individuals and communities.

Production History

2010

Spotlight Cabaret Series — Allentown Brew Works, second floor

2011

January — Hamlet: A Rock Experience — Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown
March — Blackbird — America on Wheels, Allentown
June — El Coqui — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Cedar Beach, SteelStacks, Central Elementary School, and Allentown Public Library
December — The Teddy Bear Awards — Muhlenberg College

Related coverage: Lehigh Valley Press article

2012

March — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) — Allentown Brew Works, second floor
July — The Exonerated — America on Wheels, Allentown
July — The Glass Menagerie — America on Wheels, Allentown
August — Dinner with Marney — America on Wheels, Allentown
December — Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) — Allentown Brew Works and the Antonio Salemme Foundation

Related coverage: Lehigh Valley Press review

2013

March — Parallel Lives — Antonio Salemme Foundation
June — Actors in Action — America on Wheels, Allentown
August — Pinocchio — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
October — Poe: A Madman Knows Nothing — The Ice House, Bethlehem

2014

August — The Jungle Book — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown

2015

January — True West — Touchstone Theatre, Bethlehem
June — The Normal Heart, staged reading — Hava Java Café, Allentown
July — Charlotte’s Web — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown

2016

January — The Man Who Invented Himself, staged reading — Hava Java Café, Allentown
April — The Island — Christ Lutheran Church, Arts Park, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, and The Ice House
May — The Island, additional performance — Lehigh County Men’s Community Corrections Center, Bethlehem
July — Robin Hood — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
September — Then Athena — Philadelphia Fringe Festival

2017

July — Wendy, An Adventure in Neverland — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
August — Peter Pan, bilingual community program — Neighborhood churches and the Allentown Art Museum
November — Coming Clean — Allentown Art Museum

2018

April — Coming Clean — Lehigh Valley Academy, Allentown Boys & Girls Club Teen Center
May — Coming Clean — Allentown Boys & Girls Club Teen Center
June — Coming Clean — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
July — The Ugly Duckling — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown
August — Voices of Conscience: Beyond Bars — St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Allentown

*The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted many theatre productions and community programs throughout the region.

2024

Into the Woods — Trexler Middle School

Additional Presentations

Rough Magic — Allentown Public Theatre Café series
Didi and the Poet — staged reading at the Allentown Art Museum

Coming Clean

Coming Clean was a theatre-based educational program developed by Allentown Public Theatre to address opioid use, addiction, overdose, and their effects on individuals, families, and communities.

We created the program in response to the loss of a family member to a heroin overdose. It reflects our belief that theatre can help people confront difficult subjects, encourage honest conversation, reduce stigma, and create greater understanding.

APT has presented Coming Clean for middle school students, high school students, community organizations, and adults. The program used live theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, workshops, and facilitated discussion to explore addiction, overdose, grief, family relationships, treatment, recovery, prevention, and community support.

Audience members were encouraged to become active participants and problem-solvers. The program did not rely only on lectures or written materials. Instead, it used the emotional and human power of theatre to help people engage with difficult issues and consider how addiction affects individuals and the people who care about them.

APT developed Coming Clean with input from professionals and organizations working in social services, education, treatment, and public health. The program can be adapted for schools, churches, social service agencies, community organizations, public-health events, and other settings.

Coming Clean remains available to organizations seeking theatre-based public-health programming. A presentation may include a performance, educational workshop, facilitated discussion, or a combination of these elements. Organizations interested in bringing Coming Clean to their school, agency, congregation, or community are encouraged to contact us.

Partnerships and Community Performance

We have collaborated with Muhlenberg College, Touchstone Theatre, the Allentown Art Museum, Civic Theatre of Allentown, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Christ Lutheran Church, community organizations, schools, neighborhood programs, and local artists.

Our Theatre Café series provided opportunities for local artists and writers to share their work in an informal setting. We have also brought performances and readings into schools, churches, correctional settings, parks, museums, and neighborhood spaces.