Apple Hill Players find home at Theatre Factory in Trafford
The theater company left without a home after last year’s closing of Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont has found new boards to tread.
The Apple Hill Players will share space in The Theatre Factory in Trafford, which is being re-branded as Trafford Performing Arts Center.
The resident players there will continue to mount productions under The Theatre Factory name, while Apple Hill will do the same. The two groups also will combine for joint productions, children’s theater offerings and classes.
An announcement on the upcoming season probably will be made in May, said Theatre Factory artistic director Matt Mlynarski of Lower Burrell.
“We’ll do three shows each and two joint shows,” he said. “We’re aiming for three kids’ shows.”
A children’s summer camp for a production of “Into the Woods Jr.” is scheduled for weekdays July 12-23.
“I think I can safely say that we’re all going to miss (Apple Hill Playhouse) terribly,” said Apple Hill artistic director Tina Lepidi-Stewart of North Huntingdon. “It had such a great atmosphere. But we’re looking forward to a great partnership and, most importantly, to creating theater again.”
Apple Hill Players lost their longtime home in July, when owner Pat Beyer announced that she was closing the venue, citing her age, health issues and ongoing uncertainties about how theaters would operate under continuing pandemic restrictions.
“I’m just too old to be in this game anymore,” said Beyer, who was 79 at the time.
“We knew (the closing) would happen eventually, but we didn’t know when,” Lepidi-Stewart said, noting that the theater group looked into purchasing the playhouse but decided it was not financially feasible in light of renovations needed to the Civil War-era structure that originally was a barn.
The 2.8-acre playhouse property at 275 Manor Road is listed for sale at $274,900.
Following the closure, the Apple Hill Players presented “A Taffeta Christmas” in November at the Lamplighter Restaurant near Delmont.
“We were a little heartbroken and worried about the group itself,” Mlynarski said, but the Theatre Factory-Apple Hill collaboration seemed like a natural fit.
“There’s a lot of crossover between the two groups, and so far the partnership is going well,” he said. “It’s hard to keep live theater alive, so this is a step in the right direction. We’re hoping to open the doors in August.
“As more people get vaccinated, the more we’re hoping that things will open up,” he said, noting that the theater seats 128. “We’re hoping for 75% capacity by then.”
For information, visit thetheatrefactory.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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