QUINTESSENCE THEATRE GROUP INC

QUINTESSENCE'S XV ANNIVERSARY SEASON OPENED WITH THE PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE OF AN INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED NEW VERSION OF CYRANO DE BERGERAC, DIRECTED BY ALEX BURNS. THE PRODUCTION ATTRACTED 2,300 THEATREGOERS AND RAVE REVIEWS, LEADING TO AN EXTENSION FROM 24 TO 30 PERFORMANCES. FOR THE WINTER FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY MUSICAL, WE PRESENTED COLE PORTER'S KISS ME, KATE. THIS PRODUCTION DREW 3,544 ATTENDEES. RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS AS PHILADELPHIA'S ONLY THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCING WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS IN REPERTORY, THE MARCH-APRIL 2025 RECKLESS ROMANCE REPERTORY FEATURED A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM AND ANTONY & CLEOPATRA. NOTABLY, 12% OF THE AUDIENCE AT ANTONY & CLEOPATRA AND 16% AT MIDSUMMER WERE NEW TO QUINTESSENCE, TOTALING 28% NEW AUDIENCES FOR SHAKESPEARE. IN MAY 2025, QUINTESSENCE PRESENTED NAOMI WALLACE AND MARCUS REDIKER'S THE RETURN OF BENJAMIN LAY, MARKING QUINTESSENCE'S FIRST SUCCESSFUL CO-PRODUCTION WITH A THEATRE FROM NYC. IN MAY-JUNE 2025, QUINTESSENCE THEATRE CAPPED ITS XV ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE ESTATE SANCTIONED THEATRICAL ADAPTATION OF JAMES BALDWIN'S GIOVANNI'S ROOM AS PART OF ITS PROGRAMMING PLANS TO PRODUCE CLASSIC STORIES FROM DIVERSE EARLY AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. THE ADAPTATION GARNERED SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL ATTENTION, AND ATTRACTED IMPRESSIVE BOX OFFICE NUMBERS, WITH 4,360 ATTENDEES (93% CAPACITY). OTHER NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDED COMMUNITY CENTERED EVENTS SUCH AS THE ATTENDANCE OF EGYPTOLOGISTS/CURATORS/PENN MUSEUM PROFESSORS JOSEF WAGNER AND JEN WAGNER AT A POST-SHOW CONVERSATION OF ANTONY & CLEOPATRA, AS WELL AS GREAT CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE RETURN OF BENJAMIN LAY INCLUDING WITH PLAYWRIGHT AND HISTORIAN MARCUS REDIKER AND MARK POVINELLI, WHO PORTRAYED BENJAMIN LAY IN THE PRODUCTION. IN FY25, QUINTESSENCE BOOKED SERVICE FOR 1,977 K-12 STUDENTS, INCLUDING 728 FROM NEARBY TITLE 1 PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDED: 25 STUDENT MATINEES AND POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS FOR 1,468 STUDENTS, 4 IN-SCHOOL WORKSHOPS FOR 175 STUDENTS, 2 LONG-TERM, AFTER-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES FOR 150 STUDENTS, 6 TOURING PERFORMANCES OF THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT WITH POST-SHOW WRITING WORKSHOPS FOR 135 STUDENTS. 3 WEEKS OF SUMMER CAMP AT THE SEDGWICK FOR 36 CAMPERS (JULY 2024), AND 3 SEMESTERS OF OUR SATURDAY PHOENIX & TURTLE CLUB (FALL, WINTER, SPRING) FOR 13 YOUNG ACTORS.