Leadership: Lorena and Terence McDonald, Co-founders of Playhouse of American Classics
Mission Statement
Many of the plays of America’s award winning playwrights are rarely produced in today’s theatres because they demand a large number of sets, actors and costumes or because people fear they are dated. If theater is a reflection of life then these fine plays are a “living archive” of how America evolved. Plays by such famous authors as William Saroyan, Garson Kanin, Kaufman and Hart and Elmer Rice often sit on library shelves, unread and unseen because they are not produced.
The mission of Playhouse of American Classics is:
- To get these great American plays produced for a new audience to see,
- To offer excellent professional productions that are great entertainment,
- To make students aware of our rich legacy of American plays, and,To excite audiences to further explore America’s past in order to better understand its present and point the way to its future.
About PAC
Playhouse of American Classics has developed a large and loyal following in their first two seasons. Their work has ranged from the first play to ever win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama Jesse Lynch Williams delightful comedy, WHY MARRY? 1917; to the 1961 Pulitzer Prize drama based on James Agee's A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, ALL THE WAY HOME. In Residence at The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, Playhouse of American Classics often selects plays that relate to current exhibitions on view in the museum's chambers.
www.playhouseofamericanclassics.org