Millbrook Playhouse Inc

Millbrook Playhouse brings professional summer theatre to central Pennsylvania, as well as offering theatre camps for youth and provides special shows for seniors for each of our performances. As a converted barn, we present 8 performances within the summer season -- opening each week in one of our two venues: The Ryan Main Stage hosts 275 patrons in a traditional, 3/4 thrust auditorium and The Poorman Cabaret which provides an intimate seating with a bistro / night club style atmosphere and hosting 100 guests.

Some of my most pleasurable summertime memories are those spent at Millbrook Playhouse enjoying the varied entertainment with many good friends. Plays are offered both on the Mainstage or in the Cabaret and no matter what show we see we have always been thoroughly entertained and impressed by the quality of the performance. We especially enjoy plays in the Cabaret, as guests are welcome to bring tasty treats and drinks to enjoy throughout the show. Millbrook Playhouse provides a relaxed atmosphere that allows all people to feel comfortable while enjoying a theatrical performance. Please try to attend a show at Millbrook Playhouse; you won't be disappointed!

After serving on the board of directors for 16 years, I continue to be active in the thearer as a volunteer. Millbrook will soon celebrate 50 years in business. It a wonderful asset to the area.

Millbrook continues to have programs and camps for the youth of the area. Introducing them to all aspects of the theater from acting, singing, set building, costumes and lighting. These programs as well attended and very successful.

I first attended a performance at the Millbrook Playhouse in June, 1965 when I visited a college friend at her home. The show (Once Upon A Mattress) was delightful and the surroundings very interesting. The Playhouse is in an old dairy barn. It first opened as a theater in 1963.
Our Playhouse is a professional summer stock theater that offers so much to so many. Most of the professional performers come from outside of the local geographic area although local performers are included in many productions. To the performers and technical workers it gives the opportunity to master their crafts while trying to "make it" in the world of theater. To the residents and visitors to our area of Pennsylvania it offers excellent live theater. Many of the people who attend Millbrook's shows have their only experience with live, professional theater there.
I have enjoyed attending shows regularly at Millbrook since I moved to Lock Haven, Pa in 1967. The fare is so varied: comedy (ex: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), mystery (ex: Agatha Christie plays), musicals (ex: Hairspray, West Side Story, Camelot, Jesus Christ Superstar), drama (ex: A Few Good Men), musical reviews (ex: Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris), and farce (ex: Run for Your Wife). I wait with anxious anticipation from the end of one season until the next because I know that the performances will be wonderful!
Millbrook Playhouse provides a wealth of experience not only for the performers but also for the musicians, choreographers, designers (sets, lighting, sound, and costumes), carpenters, stage managers, and of course directors. These people do amazing things in small spaces to help produce the excellent shows for which the Playhouse has become famous. Their dedication to their crafts and their expertise combine with the performances to maintain the high standards of the Playhouse. No theater can survive without these important "behind the scenes" people!
Millbrook Playhouse also provides experiences specifically for children. Shows directly aimed at youngsters are produced with local children taking part along with the professionals. These shows are always enjoyed. At the end of each season the Playhouse is the site of a one week Theater Camp for youngsters. The participants take part in all aspects of theater in that they help make their costumes, help with set design and/or placement, rehearse for the show that is performed on the last day of the camp, sometimes help with lighting and props and the like. My young granddaughter has participated in the camp for the last two summers and has enjoyed all aspects of it. She is now asking to return for the upcoming season.
Serving on the Board of Directors for the last 9 years has been an enjoyable learning experience. I have and continue to learn so much about theater and production and I particularly enjoy getting to know the performers and technical crew. I have housed many of these folks in my home over the years which has been delightful! It is really fun when I see one or more of them in T.V. shows or in commercials. How exciting to know someone just as they are beginning what we all hope will be a lucrative career and to then watch them become the performers that we know they will be. A few of Millbrook's alumni have gone on to wonderful careers in stage, screen and T.V. I like to think that our lovely theater helped them achieve their goals.
When I think of Millbrook Playhouse I always laugh and think that the old barn is just a barn until a performance begins and then it becomes a magical place.
I urge everyone to come to a show at Millbrook this summer as it promises to be another exciting, excellent season.