Upcoming Shows
STREAMERS by David Rabe
October 16-26 at Fondersmith Auditorium (Holy Trinity Lutheran Church)
David Rabe’s Streamers is a powerful, unflinching drama set in a 1960s Army barracks, where young soldiers await deployment to Vietnam. As racial tensions, identity struggles, and personal fears surface, the characters clash in a volatile mix of conflict and camaraderie. A gripping examination of masculinity, violence, and the cost of war, Streamers is the final play in Rabe’s acclaimed Vietnam trilogy. Winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Streamers promises an unforgettable night of theatre—urgent, human, and hauntingly relevant.
This play contains violence and strong language, including derogatory slurs reflective of its time and place. Viewer discretion is advised.
Join us for opening night — Thursday, October 16 at 7 PM — at a landmark rich with both theatrical and Lancaster history.
Before the show at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church’s Fondersmith Auditorium, step next door for a brief historical tour of the sanctuary, open starting at 6 PM. Built in 1766, it stands among the oldest and most beautiful churches in Pennsylvania — a true gem of the city.
During intermission, the congregation will graciously host a charcuterie and mocktail reception, complete with a selection of hot and cold seasonal beverages.
Can’t make opening night? Tours and refreshments will also be offered at the Thursday, October 23 performance of Streamers.
Readers Theatre: RICHARD II
November 7 & 8 at 7 PM and November 9 at 2 PM
We close out 2025 with our first venture into Shakespeare’s History plays and our first Readers Theatre production. Directed by Shakespeare scholar Dr. Justin Hopkins and performed by a cast of Lancaster Shakespeare royalty, this intimate staging brings to life one of the Bard’s most lyrical and politically charged plays. At its heart is the fall of King Richard II, a monarch whose divine right to rule is challenged by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke. As Richard is deposed and Bolingbroke rises to become Henry IV, Shakespeare weaves a story of power, betrayal, and the fragile nature of kingship. Filled with poetry of rare beauty and insight, Richard II examines what happens when a ruler loses both his crown and his sense of identity.
Antony & Cleopatra
Passion. Power. Poison. In Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra, two titans of the ancient world spiral into a relationship defined not by wisdom or devotion, but by indulgence, ego, and spectacle. Next year’s production will dare to hold up a mirror to both Rome and our own age—a time when celebrity romances play out like public train wrecks, and love becomes a weapon of vanity and self-destruction. Enter a world where desire is performative, loyalty is fleeting, and the thirst for pleasure burns brighter than the duty to lead. Directed by Jeremiah Miller.
Our Town
In a world strained by division and noise, Our Town invites us to slow down, breathe, and recognize what binds us together. Thornton Wilder’s timeless play, set in the rhythms of everyday life, offers catharsis and clarity—reminding us that the simple moments we share are what make us most human. This production will reflect the full diversity of Lancaster itself, embracing the many voices, faces, and stories that make our community vibrant. And what better home than West Art’s “City Hall”—a true living room for Lancaster—where audiences can gather not only to witness a play, but to experience communion, conversation, and connection. Our Town isn’t just about a fictional Grover’s Corners. It’s about us—here and now—finding ourselves in one another. Directed by Laura Korach Howell.
Henry IV, Part I
Shakespeare’s most thrilling coming-of-age story bursts to life this summer. In Henry IV, Part 1, young Prince Hal wastes his nights in taverns with the outrageous Sir John Falstaff and a band of rogues—while rebellion brews against his father’s crown. But the time soon comes when Hal must leave behind his reckless companions, confront the fiery Hotspur on the battlefield, and prove himself worthy of the throne. By turns riotously funny and deeply stirring, this play explores honor, loyalty, and the painful but necessary path from youth to responsibility. It’s the story of a prince who must decide what kind of man—and what kind of king—he will become. Directed by Justin Hopkins.
Rope
Before Alfred Hitchcock made it famous on screen, Patrick Hamilton’s Rope shocked the stage with its chilling tale of arrogance, cruelty, and murder. Now, newly in the public domain, director Molly McKitterick adapts this classic thriller into the present day—where its unnerving questions feel more urgent than ever. In a sleek city apartment, two privileged young men commit the “perfect crime,” hiding the body in plain sight and hosting a dinner party over it. Their motive? Not passion, money, or revenge—but a cold belief that human life can be reduced to an experiment. McKitterick’s contemporary staging exposes how frighteningly relevant Hamilton’s play remains in an age when humanity is too often devalued. Tense, stylish, and disturbingly intimate, Rope grips its audience in a vise of suspense and refuses to let go.