Hothouse Theatre Company

01/02/2026

Nighthawks is presenting a reading of Athol Fugard's play, "Valley Song," at the C.E.C., 3500 Lancaster Ave, Philadelphia (on the first block near Drexel U.) This is an opportunity to hear this beautiful play, a tale of South Africa.
Jan 2 & 3, 7 p.m.
Free admission, donations welcome
Connie Norwood directing.

10/25/2017

Hothouse board just had a meeting, we are going to produce another play in South Jersey!

04/20/2017

We are looking for a new home for our Meet South Jersey Writers and play readings.

For 20 years, Coffee Works has been a haven for creative types -- poets, playwrights, singer-songwriters, and java junkies.

11/07/2016

Hey folks, come see this theatrical show:

There is limited space in our house for this so get your tickets first.

$12 / http://slideshownj.brownpapertickets.com/
Seating limited (only 15 seats avail) advance sales suggested. No additional charges for online sales.

Some drinks and snacks will be provided.
Jordan's House
426 Jackson St.
Camden, NJ

Automatic Arts presents
S L I D E SHOW
Written and performed by Josh McIlvain
Monday November 7 at 8pm

Real slides. A fictional family saga. An old fashioned slideshow becomes a theatrical experience.

“Invites the audience to be mesmerized and taken on a journey about transition, tragedy and connection.” Philadelphia City Paper

A comedic drama that features real slides from the 1950 to 1980s alongside a fictional family narrative about vacation, America, and when visions of one’s future collide with reality. 75 minutes, mature audiences.
About the show:

From the 1950s through the 1980s, the slideshow was a staple of the American household. SLIDESHOW drops audiences back into the time of Kodachrome colors, weaving a fictional family history around strangers’ real slides of long ago vacations. A funny, disarmingly real, and deeply felt work about the disconnection between the lives of children and those of their parents, SLIDESHOW recreates a lost ritual and delves into the aspirations of 20th-century American life.

More info: AutomaticArtsCo.com.

PRESS:

“Ingenious travel down memory lane. . . . A thought-provoking, intimate, funny and poignant journey.” Stage Magazine

“The punchy-colored slides and humorous yet heartfelt prose McIlvain recites is as uncanny and nostalgic as some of our own family scrapbooks. This piece invites the audience to be mesmerized and taken on a journey about transition, tragedy and connection.” Philadelphia City Paper

“What if Don Draper’s Carousel pitch was a theatrical experience? That’s kind of the vibe given off by Josh McIlvain‘s Slideshow. This intimate performance uses real slides to unfold a gripping tale of a family as seen through the fleeting images on a screen.” Philebrity.com

About Automatic Arts and Josh McIlvain

Josh McIlvain (writer–performer) is a Philadelphia-based playwright, director, and performer. As the artistic director of Automatic Arts, he writes and directs original shows including SLIDESHOW, American Wisdom, Return of Confessions of a Plate and Shoe, Carter’s Play, and many others; he curates the Northwest Philly based Nice and Fresh performing arts series, and creates a new work for each show. In addition to Automatic Arts, he has had more than 115 productions of some 70 plays throughout the U.S. He has also directed plays (Alp D’Huez, Magick & Glitter) for Hella Fresh Theater and was the writer for the collaborative work Leaps of Faith and Other Mistakes by Almanac Dance Circus Theater.

Automatic Arts (AutomaticArtsCo.com, formerly SmokeyScout Productions) was founded by Josh McIlvain and Deborah Crocker in 2008. Based in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, the company produces theater written and directed by Josh McIlvain, and brings a close look at contemporary life to the stage with brilliant acting, bold humor, inventive staging, and a respect for audience intelligence. They also present the Nice and Fresh series featuring new theater, dance, and cross-disciplinary performing arts side by side.

Real slides. A fictional family saga. An old fashioned slideshow becomes a theatrical experience.

08/15/2016

Tonight’s line up, all South Jersey writers.

TRIFECTA by Sheila McDonald
THE WHINING Act II by Robert Castle
PATSY AND DOLLY AND THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN UNMENTIONABLES by Ari Flamingo

Hothouse Reading
August 10 2016
7:00-9:30PM
Coffeeworks at the Ritz Plaza
910 Berlin Road, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

08/09/2016

The reason we started Hothouse Theatre Company a couple of years ago was simple, we love theatre. It’s a most healthy and satisfying activity that is integral to our human existence. Sure there are “electronic” ways of telling stories, but when it comes to real inter-human communication nothing beats live theatre.

We produced a play, directed by the amazing Connie Norwood, about hell that was performed at the Walt Whitman Center in Camden, because we loved the story. Now we are organizing readings at a noisy Jersey coffeeshop. It might come across as disturbing, but it doesn’t have to be, try to cut through the noise with your words (yes, that’s a challenge.)

If you have a play that you want to have read send it to Sir Colin at colin.wolf[at]gmail.com. Sir Colin was the literary manager at The Brick for many years and has read thousands of plays, his thumbs up or thumbs down has significance. If he has turned you down, just go back to your desk and make it better - playwriting is a tough gig and if you think Sir Colin is mean, wait until you get to meet the razor sharp pens and fiery breath of “real” critics.

This coming Monday. I’m looking forward to our third reading.

Gerald van Wilgen



Hothouse Reading
August 10 2016
7:00-9:30PM
Coffeeworks at the Ritz Plaza
910 Berlin Road, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

07/16/2016

Hey All,

This coming Monday, July 20 we will NOT have a reading at Coffeeworks. Not reason not to go though, the coffee tastes great. We will be back August 15. 7:00PM.

05/31/2016

Playreading this coming weekend at The Ritz, come and admire local writing talent.

https://www.facebook.com/events/229171144136385/?notif_t=plan_user_invited¬if_id=1464731247077646

05/18/2016

Last night's kick off was a success. We read three plays from local South Jersey writers and had a great audience. Thanks Wade Cohen for graciously hosting this event. The next reading will be on June 20th, 7:00PM. If you want to submit a play please visit Colin Wolfe's page and message him.