Explore Diverse Lancaster Theater Scene

If you want to experience the best performing arts destination in Pennsylvania, you don't have to travel too far beyond the Philadelphia region to Lancaster County. The theater scene in Lancaster is a dynamic treasure trove of vibrant permanent venues, touring companies, moving theaters, and dinner theaters. 

Writing for LNP | LancasterOnline, Mary Ellen Wright highlights the following venues that offer extraordinary theater experiences in the region:

Lancaster County's institutions of higher learning also present theater performances for the community. They range from fall plays and spring musicals to short-play festivals and evenings of dance.

These colleges and universities include Millersville University, Franklin & Marshall College, Elizabethtown College, and Lancaster Bible College.

Permanent theater venues in Lancaster County include the Cavod Performing Arts, Ephrata Performing Arts Center, Fulton Theatre, Prima Theatre, Sight & Sound Theatres, and Susquehanna Stage, which offer distinctive programming and performances for audiences across the region.

Dinner theaters such as the Bird-in-Hand Stage, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, and Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater pair meals with performances, typically at higher prices for combined dinner-and-a-show experiences.

A range of traveling and resident troupes perform at various venues across Lancaster County. They include Creative Works of Lancaster, Lancaster Shakespeare Theatre, Penn Square Opera, Orpheus Theatre Company, Servant Stage Company, and more. These organizations often use flexible or pay-what-you-will models to boost accessibility.

Additional multipurpose performing arts venues include the American Music Theatre, Historic Rock Ford, Lancaster Improv Players, Mount Hope Estate, Strasburg Rail Road (on its train rides), and the Upfront Theatre. They offer concerts, original shows, murder mysteries, and improv, with a wide spectrum of ticket prices available.

Lancaster County also supports several theater studios and academies. Creative Pursuits Academy, Popovsky Performing Arts Studio, Lancaster Academy for the Performing Arts, and Encore! Home School Productions offer classes and student performances.

Beyond Lancaster, experiences include Gretna Theatre at Gretna Playhouse in Mount Gretna, Lebanon County, and Hershey Theatre in Hershey, Dauphin County, which broaden regional access to diverse performing arts experiences.