Season

By Ossie Davis
Directed by Loretta Lucy Miller
September 13^th, 14^th, 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd, 27^th, 28^th, 29^th, 2019
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Dynamic, traveling preacher Purlie Victorious Judson returns to his small Georgia town hoping to save Big Bethel, the community’s church, and emancipate the cotton pickers who work on oppressive Ol’ Cap’n Cotchipee’s plantation. With the assistance of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, Purlie hopes to pry loose from Cotchipee an inheritance due his long-lost cousin and use the money to achieve his goals. Deception, fun, satire, and high jinks — with serious undertones — lead to a triumphant ending!

By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Sarah Labov
November 1^st, 2^nd, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 2019
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Set against the backdrop of Hamlet, two hapless minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, suddenly find themselves thrust center stage. As the bewildered duo stumble their way in and out of the action of William Shakespeare’s classic drama, they become increasingly out of their depth as their hilarious version of the iconic story unfolds.

By Neil Simon
Directed by Jane Jennings
January 10^th, 11^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, 24^th, 25^th, 26^th, 2020
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

This classic romantic comedy has been charming audiences for over fifty years. When young newlyweds Corie and Paul move into their first apartment, their passion is tested by the problems of New York City living. Add an over-involved mother-in-law, a quirky upstairs neighbor, five flights of stairs, and the wit of playwright Neil Simon, and you have all the elements for a delightful evening of theater.

By Sam Shepard
Directed by Nancy Ridgeway
February 28^th, 29^th; March 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, 2020
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Dodge and Halie are barely hanging on to their farmland and their sanity while looking after their two wayward, grown sons. When their grandson Vince arrives with his girlfriend, no one seems to recognize him, and confusion abounds. Sam Shepard takes a macabre look at one American Midwestern family with a very dark secret. Winner of the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

By Stephen Adly Guirgis
Directed by Leigh Jacobs
April 17^th, 18^th, 24^th, 25^th, 26^th; May 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 2020
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Box office: 215–843-1109
Tickets $20.00

Mourners have gathered at a Harlem funeral home to pay respects to their beloved childhood teacher, Sister Rose. There’s only one problem — her dead body has been stolen. The unplanned reunion brings together old friends to face the reality of who they’ve become. Raw, gritty, and raucously funny, Our Lady of 121^st Street paints a vivid comic portrait of what happens when old friends meet old wounds in an elusive search for redemption.

By Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Annie Hnatko
June 5^th, 6^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 19^th, 20^th, 21^st, 2020
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Auditions

Box office: 215–843-1109
Tickets $25.00

On the night of his 35^th birthday, Robert contemplates his bachelor status. His friends explain the pros and cons of marriage over several drinks and dinner parties. The habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of the single life. Stephen Sondheim’s Company is largely regarded as the trailblazer of the dark comedy, modern musical genre, and features a brilliantly brisk and energetic score containing many of the composer’s best-known songs.

Directed by friends of Old Academy
July 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, 2020
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Box office: 215–843-1109
Tickets $20.00

It’s another summer of one-act hilarity! This year we are featuring more new comedies, new directors and original scripts from our talented members. Join us for a fast-paced evening of short plays designed to put a smile on your face.