About the Collaborator

Plays & Players began in 1911 as a social club devoted to expanding and developing new theater experiences for and by its membership.  The first President, Maud Durbin Skinner, was the wife of the famed American actor, Otis Skinner. The Plays & Players Theatre, then called the "Little Theatre of Philadelphia", opened in 1913. The theatre wes founded by Beulah E. Jay and her husband, Edward G. Jay, Jr. together with an acquaintance, F.H. Shelton in an effort to produce "American plays of ideas," an underrepresented genre at the time. Among the notable performances in the history of the company were the world premiere of the acclaimed Broadway play, “Stalag 17”, in 1949, and a childhood performance by actor Kevin Bacon in Member of the Wedding in 1974. The first season of Plays & Players included An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde, and The Learned Ladies, by Moliere, both still popular plays today.In the 1960's, Plays and Players decided to "go public" and opened its productions to the entire community. In the 70's the Plays and Players Children's Theater was added to the busy schedule. On March 14, 1973, Plays & Players Theatre was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. Once an exclusive club, Plays & Players grew into a company in which local artists young and old practiced and performed their craft. In 2011-2012, Plays & Players will celebrate its 100th season of local and community focused performance in Philadelphia. A historic company existing in a vibrant modern arts scene, Plays & Players continues to change and grow with the times, all the while keeping an eye on its rich and powerful past.