Episodes

The story of Cole Porter's classic musical Kiss Me, Kate's world premiere opening in Philadelphia on December 2, 1948.

"Pal Joey," "Native Son," "Annie Get Your Gun" - during the years of the Second World War, there was a new surge of exciting Broadway productions trying out in Philadelphia. But at the same time, the Shuberts' domination of ...

A reissue of our conversation with scholar Jonathan Shandell and director Jerrell Henderson, about a little-known chapter of Philadelphia's theater history. For a blog post on our website, with images from the productions we ...

Philadelphia enters the Great Depression. Although a few shows were still having their Broadway tryouts in Philly, it wasn't enough to keep the wrecking crews from tearing down many of the city's grand old theaters. To see im...

The fictional musical "Pretty Lady" has its opening night in Philadelphia! Another dramatic reading from the archives of Philadelphia theater history, underscored with evocative musical accompaniment. If you liked the show, l...

A story of an "All Star Cast" touring production in 1927. After the unexpected death of its star, the veteran actor John Drew Jr., company member Peggy Wood wrote this detailed memoir of his final tour. A dramatic reading fr...

Broadway tryouts and tours and revues were constantly coming to Philadelphia's many large and luxurious theaters during the 1920s - here's a quick review of the revues! Even the Moscow Art Theatre came through town - as well ...

The story of the Shubert Brothers, and how they began to take control over almost every commercial theater in Philadelphia - just like they did in cities all across America. For a blog post with images of the stories and …

The "Little Theater Movement" arrives in Philadelphia, bringing modern plays and surprising new venues - including the Walnut Street Theatre, where The Green Goddess was given a World Premiere tryout run in December of 1920....

Our annual Holiday episode! Featured are stories about the tightrope sensation El Nino Eddie, "Hitchy-Koo; the Intimate Revue," The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Timbuktu!, Signor Blitz during the American Civil War, and many o...

Stories of seven notable vaudevillians who came from Philadelphia, including W.C. Fields, Ethel Barrymore, and Ethel Waters. (We also briefly profile Ed Wynn, Larry Fine, Walter C. Kelly, and the woman known as "Sober Sue.") ...

Philadelphia, like all American cities of the day, was home to the exciting energy and show-biz hustle of vaudeville theaters in the first decades of the 20th Century. On our website, there's a blog post with a Bibliography o...

In the fall of 1915, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation was booked to play at the Forrest Theatre - a "legitimate house," not a movie theater - but would Philadelphia's city authorities allow it to be shown? After …

We begin our third season of adventures! Here we learn about the historical originas of the "Tryout Town" in American showbiz of the early 20th Century. We discuss the movie 42nd Street and discuss many touring shows that ca...

Actress, director and educator Penelope Reed sits down for an interview with us, and shares fascinating memories of her long career in Philadelphia area theater. In particular she discusses her lifelong involvement and eventu...

[Note: This is a repeat of our Episode 12, first released in June 2021] Fires were a real danger in 19th Century theater, and some Philadelphia theaters were burned down and rebuilt multiple times. Inevitably, in some of thes...

First released as Episode 10 in May of 2021, we bring out this great story once again! You can find illustrations and additional information about the events we describe here, on our webpage: https://www.aithpodcast.com/blog/...

The the final episode of our story about the Theatre of the Living Arts. While exciting work continues to happen on South Street, opposition to Andre Gregory's artistic leadership rises, and eventually matters come to a head ...

Our story continues, with productions of the '65-'66 second season of Philadelphia's first scrappy non-profit resident theater company - at its home on South Street. Visit our website to find a blog post with mages about the ...

Announcements, Corrections, Answers to questions from our listeners - and some exciting personal news! (The episode image is of the frontage of the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, ca. 1820. From Charles Durang's Hist...

The founding of Philadelphia's first major resident theater company: The Theatre of the Living Arts. As the 1960s begin, the fortunes of the Quaker City - and its theater - are flagging. Even the longtime supply of Broadway ...

Would Sunday in New York perform on Saturday in Philadelphia? Were the "riffraff and lowlifes" of Brecht's Threepenny Opera suitable for its Playhouse in the Park? Could the first publicly funded and owned city theater in the...

An interview with the Producing Artistic Director of the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Bernard Havard. Visit our website for a blog post with photos of our tour, including many of the items we discuss in the...

During the Great Depression years of the 1930s, some touring Broadway shows got into trouble in Philadelphia. "The People's Mayor" S. Davis Wilson had his limits when it came to what he would allow in the city's theaters. Thi...