Walnut Street makes theater easier for all this season

The arts scene is finally making a comeback in the City of Brotherly Love.

It’s been a busy fall with the return of live shows, and going into the 2021-22 season, it’s only going to get even busier. Partially, that’s thanks to Walnut Street Theatre, who has been awarded a PNC Arts Alive grant, which will fund the “Back to the Show!” program. As the release states, the grant enables Walnut Street Theatre to provide a limited number of $10 tickets for mainstage performances this season to increase access to live theatre for community members, with special outreach efforts to those who have been most affected by the pandemic.

The way it works: Philadelphians can purchase tickets one month beforehand for $10 before every mainstage show. These discounted tickets have been released for the opening show of Walnut Street Theatre’s 213th Season, ‘BEEHIVE – THE ‘60s MUSICAL’, which runs until Oct. 31, but there are still a few more productions upcoming: Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ (Nov. 16- Jan. 2), Noël Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ (Jan. 11- Feb. 13),  ‘Sherlock Holmes – The Adventure of The Speckled Band’ (Feb. 22-March 27), and ‘On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan’ (April 12 – May 29, 2022). There is a limit of two tickets per production per household to ensure that a wide array of audiences can take advantage of the discount. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone, or at the box office.

“We are excited and grateful to be partnering with PNC Arts Alive this season to extend our reach to more audiences than ever,” Walnut Street Theatre President and Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard said in a statement. “After a challenging year for many, the ‘Back to the Show’ program will help us ensure that more members of our community can access and enjoy the artistry and thrills that only live theatre can provide.”

As the release states: PNC Arts Alive is an initiative of the PNC Foundation. The goal for this particular section of the Foundation challenges arts organizations to expand audience participation and engagement. This is historically a prestigious grant award. In total only about 40 organizations in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region are selected for support annually in recognition of their bold thinking around increasing arts access and engagement, Walnut Street Theatre among them.

“We’ve long recognized just how vital the arts and cultural sector is to our community. The PNC team is once again excited to support the arts and cultural organizations in the Delaware Valley,” said Joe Meterchick, PNC regional president for Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey. “The arts and culture strengthen the local economy and have the power to bring people together. Taking the time to support—and be a part of art—has never been more important for our region.”

For more information on the Walnut Street Theater, visit walnutstreettheatre.org

---