People’s Light, a professional theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration.
Founded in 1974, People’s Light serves as one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional non-profit theatres, known for our resident company of artists, eclectic mix of productions, and innovative work with young people.
In our 8-9 play season, we present stories drawn from ancient times through tomorrow that have direct relevance to our communities and their concerns. In support of this range, we produce classics, contemporary plays, and commission and produce new work: of our 452 productions, over a third (171) have been world or regional premieres.
People’s Light has always called Chester County home. In 1979 we moved to our current location in Malvern, which includes two black box theatres with 340 and 160 seats respectively; offices; scenic shops; rehearsal halls; classrooms; a restored 18th-century farmhouse to house guest artists; the Bistro restaurant; and The Farmhouse banquet and catering facility that can be rented for special events. The Theatre employs 100 full-and permanent-part-time artists and staff members, many of whom live within 15 miles of the campus, and almost 200 guest artists each season from Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C., and beyond. We operate with an annual budget of $6.4 million and serve 80,000 patrons, guests, students, and community members each year.
