The Experience
The days when you leave the theater humming a tune from the latest musical are back, but with a contemporary flair. With an eye to reinvigorating this very American art form, Prince Music Theater produces and presents shows that feature new artists, new composers or new works. Many have later played in New York, both on and off Broadway.
The list of names associated with its shows is impressive. Lou Rawls, Andrea Marcovicci, Lee Breuer, Philip Glass and Adam Guettel, grandson of the great Richard Rodgers, have been all participated in Prince productions. Recently, the company produced 3hree — conceived and directed by Hal Prince — three one-act pieces written by three teams of up-and-coming composers, book writers and lyricists.
History
The American Music Theater Festival first hit the stage in 1984 and has since produced over a hundred musical theater productions. In 1999, the company moved into a home of its own — a restored old film theater off the Avenue of the Arts — and named it after the great Harold Prince. According to Stephen Sondheim, “They have made Philadelphia one of the most important places in the country for the development of new musicals.”