Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts

Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts From Broadway to Broad Street! Theatre by and for the residents of the Greater Hazleton Area. We hope you will join us in our exciting 2012 season!
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For over a decade, the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts, Inc. has provided a venue for talented actors, musicians and dancers to entertain local audiences. Our entirely volunteer organization has mounted dozens of productions ranging from classic and contemporary Broadway musicals and plays to children's productions. In 2006, the physical condition of our former facility on Laurel Street in

Hazleton had deteriorated to the point that it became a significant drain to our financial and personal resources. As such, it was decided to sell the building and move on to greener pastures. We have been fortunate indeed to have found several venues in the area in which to perform our shows. The Strand in McAdoo and The Factory in Nuremberg have both lent their stages to our performers. We graciously thank the people involved with these facilities as they have welcomed us with open arms and open hearts. In January of 2010, after 24 productions at the J.J. Ferrara Center, the PTPA became its proud new owners! With a new home and a renewed energy for the arts, you can be assured that the PTPA will continue to provide quality theatrical performances and remain as a much-needed cultural outlet for the talents of our community.

As Abigail Adams famously wrote to husband John, today we "Remember the Ladies!" in PTPA presents 1776 - and we have two...
06/23/2026

As Abigail Adams famously wrote to husband John, today we "Remember the Ladies!" in PTPA presents 1776 - and we have two very talented ladies taking on these wonderful female roles - Kit McElvar making her PTPA debut as the witty, caring, and no-nonsense Abigail; and Jadyn Culp as the vivacious Martha Jefferson!

Kit is happy to make her return to the stage as Abigail Adams alongside the great cast of 1776! She received a minor in musical theater from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 and has continued to be involved with many forms of music aside from singing including playing the flute, piano, and handbells. Thanks to the PTPA for providing this opportunity and to family and friends for their constant support and encouragement to keep singing!

Jadyn is beyond excited to work with this incredible cast to put on this classic! She is 20 years old, and is entering her senior year at Bloomsburg University within the early childhood education field. Aside from college, she spends her free time doing exactly what she loves, which is being involved in musical theatre and spending time with friends and family. Theatre has been a part of Jadyn’s life for the past eleven years, along with competitive dancing, cheerleading, and singing. Some of her most memorable roles include Elle Woods (Legally Blonde), Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Carrie White (Carrie), Little Red Ridinghood (Into the Woods), Dorothy Gale (Wizard of Oz), Wednesday Addams (Addams Family), and Regina George (Mean Girls). She knows that this show will be beyond incredible and wants to thank the phenomenal cast and crew for making the experience possible!

Don't miss Kit and Jadyn in 1776 THE MUSICAL, which runs from July 3 through July 12 at the PTPA!

Show Dates & Times:
July 3 - Curtain at 7pm
July 4 - Curtain at 7pm
July 5 - Curtain at 2pm
July 10 - Curtain at 7pm
July 11 - Dinner at 5:30pm*; Curtain at 7pm
July 12 - Dinner at 12:30pm*; Curtain at 2pm

Tickets available NOW at www.ptpashows.org

(Dinner and show reservations are due by Monday, July 6 - show only reservations for those performances will open up then)

PTPA presents 1776 opens next Friday, July 3, at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 West Broad Street in Hazleton, and we cann...
06/22/2026

PTPA presents 1776 opens next Friday, July 3, at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 West Broad Street in Hazleton, and we cannot wait for you to meet the people who literally made history in declaring independence and founding our nation!

Throughout the next two weeks we wil be introducting you to the cast and crew of our production, beginning with three of the main architects of the Declaration: John Adams (Ciarán R. Burke), Dr. Benjamin Franklin (David Zimmerman), and Thomas Jefferson (Joshua M. Plesce)!

Ciarán R. Burke (John Adams, Massachusetts) is pleased and honored to be taking on this role alongside friends and colleagues old and new. Ciarán has previously appeared on the PTPA stage in "The Play That Goes Wrong" and "Anastasia," and directed last season's "A Christmas Carol." Mr. Burke has also worked on shows at the Music Box Dinner Playhouse, Little Theater of Wilkes-Barre, Gaslight Theatre Company, Actor's Circle, and Diva Productions. He enjoys old movies, old comic books, overthinking things, spending time with his friends, and not talking about himself. Ciarán would like to extend thanks to his parents for their support and for instilling in him a love of history; especially his mother, Mary Ruth, who introduced him to 1776 and started an abiding fixation. He would also like to thank his best friends: Dana Burke (Stage Manager) and Alison Scott (William Paca, Maryland).

David Zimmerman (Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania) earned his B.A. in Theatre from Wilkes University and has been seen in numerous roles in the Hazleton area and throughout the Lehigh Valley. Some of his favorite roles have been: Dennis as Perkins the butler (The Play That Goes Wrong), Mr. Mushnik (Little Shop of Horrors), Constantine Bouc (Murder on the Orient Express), Max Bialystock (The Producers) and more recently as Lazar Wolf (Fiddler on the Roof). Dave resides in Lehighton, PA, where he is a partner in two businesses: Zimmerman’s Dairy and the non-profit theater group The Pale Moon Players. He would like to thank his wife and children for their support and you, the audience, for supporting live, local theater.

Joshua M. Plesce (Thomas Jefferson, Virginia) has been active in the Northeast Pennsylvania theatre community for more than 10 years as both a performer and director. He is currently an English Language Arts and Theatre teacher at the Hazleton Area Arts and Humanities Academy, where he also serves as Director of the Cougar Players Drama Club. Some of his favorite past roles include Emcee in "Cabaret," Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors," Christopher Bean in "The Play That Goes Wrong," and SpongeBob in "The SpongeBob Musical." Joshua is grateful for the opportunity to perform alongside so many talented local artists and hopes you enjoy the show.

1776 THE MUSICAL runs from July 3 through July 12 at the PTPA:
July 3 - Curtain at 7pm
July 4 - Curtain at 7pm
July 5 - Curtain at 2pm
July 10 - Curtain at 7pm
July 11 - Dinner at 5:30pm*; Curtain at 7pm
July 12 - Dinner at 12:30pm*; Curtain at 2pm

Tickets available NOW at www.ptpashows.org

(Dinner and show reservations are due by Monday, July 6 - show only reservations for those performances will open up then)

As we kick into high gear preparing for our production of PTPA presents 1776 in July we at the PTPA would also like to h...
06/19/2026

As we kick into high gear preparing for our production of PTPA presents 1776 in July we at the PTPA would also like to highlight TWO OTHER local productions of 1776 opening TONIGHT and running through next weekend!

Both productions feature a huge amount of talent on stage and behind the scenes - including folks who have worked with the PTPA and Artistic Director Adam Randis many times over the years, and we highly recommend seeing their versions of this most classic of American Musicals:

Diva Theater and Actors Circle Present 1776, under the direction of Paige Balitski, will be performed at West Scranton Intermediate School, 1401 Fellows Street, Scranton PA 18504 on June 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28 with Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30PM and Sunday performances at 2PM.

RiverStage presents "1776"! will be performed by RiverStage Community Theatre under the direction of Ellen Boyer at the GreenSpace Center, 815 Market Street, Lewisburg on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm on June 19, 20 and 27, a special 6:00pm performance on Friday June 26 (to be followed with Lewisburg’s fireworks display), and two Sunday matinees at 2:30pm on June 21 and 28.

Head out to support these great organizations and people this weekend and next to celebrate our semiquincentennial, then see our PTPA crew in action 4th of July weekend or the weekend after at our home base, the J.J. Ferrara Center in Hazleton, OR come see us on the road at Lehighton Area High School for two special performances July 17 and 18th! So many chances to see the ORIGINAL musical of American Independence, don't miss it!

The PTPA is very excited to announce that we are partnering with our friends the Pale Moon Players and Carbon County Ame...
06/17/2026

The PTPA is very excited to announce that we are partnering with our friends the Pale Moon Players and Carbon County America250 to present TWO ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES of our production of 1776 THE MUSICAL at Lehighton Area High School on July 17th and 18th!

Tickets for those performances are available now at https://palemoonplayers.ludus.com

Tickets for our initial 2 week run of PTPA presents 1776 (including tickets for dinner and show on 7/11 and 7/12) can still be purchased at OUR website, www.ptpashows.org

We are very excited to announce the ALL-AMERICAN DINNER MENU for our upcoming production of PTPA presents 1776! Catered ...
06/16/2026

We are very excited to announce the ALL-AMERICAN DINNER MENU for our upcoming production of PTPA presents 1776! Catered by Four Blooms Restaurant and featuring menu items right from PTPA kitchen matriarch Sue Childs' recipe book, this meal is not to be missed!

Dinner and show are ONLY available on Saturday, July 11th, at 5:30pm and Sunday, July 12th at 12:30pm - all dinner reservations due by Monday, July 6th - get them in now at www.ptpashows.org

Thank you to everyone who made our limited one weekend run of THE ELEPHANT MAN a success! We appreciate the support and...
06/15/2026

Thank you to everyone who made our limited one weekend run of THE ELEPHANT MAN a success! We appreciate the support and kind words about a production that meant a great deal to the cast and crew.

Coming up next, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, comes PTPA presents 1776! Tickets available now - and dinner and show tickets for our July 11th and 12th performances are still available until July 6th! Visit www.ptpashows.org to secure the best seats, and watch this space, as tomorrow we will be revealing the delicious All American Feast dinner menu for the show!

Our friends at Faith U.C.C. Hazleton came to the theatre last week to make this beautiful window mural celebrating inclu...
06/15/2026

Our friends at Faith U.C.C. Hazleton came to the theatre last week to make this beautiful window mural celebrating inclusivity - thank you Pastor Sue, Pastor Lynne, Lee, Charlotte, and Harriet - and Happy Pride!

There is only one more chance to see the show that audience members are calling "amazing," "touching," "truly meaningful...
06/14/2026

There is only one more chance to see the show that audience members are calling "amazing," "touching," "truly meaningful," and "one of the most emotional experiences I've had at the theatre" - PTPA presents THE ELEPHANT MAN today at 2pm!

Come see this moving piece of theatre with command performances from leads Tim Solarek as John Merrick and Bobby Maso as Dr. Frederick Treves at the PTPA's home at the J.J. Ferrara Center, 212 West Broad Street in Hazleton - tickets available at our website, www.ptpashows.org, or in person at the box office beginning an hour before curtain

(Opening night photos by Shawn Anderson)

Address

212 W Broad Street
Hazleton, PA
18201

Telephone

+15704545451

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