Quintessence Theatre Group is dedicated to the performance and adaptation of epic works of classic literature and drama for the contemporary stage, which ignites the mind through the power of the actor, design and spoken word. Quintessence Theatre exists to develop and produce theatre which is immediate and necessary, and that strives to attract new audiences to the art form by challenging its artists and audiences alike to consider what is essential in theatre and in human nature.
Quintessence Theatre Group was founded by Alexander Burns and Pamela Reichen in the fall of 2009. Previous productions include Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Measure For Measure and Henry V, Goldoni’s The Venetian Twins, Plato’s Apology, Moliere’s Don Juan and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Over the next five years Quintessence Theatre Group will work to establish an acting ensemble and a rotating repertory season at the historic Sedgwick Theater in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. As Quintessence Theatre’s home, the Sedgwick Theater, a 1928 art deco movie palace designed by William Lee, will regain its place as a jewel in Philadelphia’s cultural landscape.
Alexander Burns (Artistic Director) Alex@QuintessenceTheatre.org. Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Trinity Shakespeare Festival); Hamlet (Shakespeare Theatre Company, DC @ Carter Barron); Henri Gabler, Diabolique, The Maids (Exigent Theatre); Angels in America, Millennium Approaches (Northwestern University); Copenhagen (University of Chicago). Alexander was a Directing Fellow at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington , DC. As assistant director he has worked at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Old Globe, Steppenwolf Theater, The Goodman Theatre, The Flea Theatre, The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Stage and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Alexander has assisted directors Frank Galati, Michael Kahn, Gale Edwards, Robert Moss and Ethan McSweeny. Training: Northwestern University, LCT Directors Lab and the Jack O’Brien Directors Lab.
Pamela Reichen (Associate Artistic Director) Pamela@QuintessenceTheatre.org. New York: Henri Gabler (Exigent Theatre); Roberta Laughs (Drama League DirectorFest). Regional: Do Black Patent… Reflect Up? (Pelajia Productions); Johnny Guitar, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Leading Ladies (Cortland Repertory Theatre). As production assistant: First You Dream, Merrily We Roll Along (Signature Theatre, VA); Home (Signature Theatre, NYC); Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, The Beaux’ Stratagem (Shakespeare Theatre Company). Training: BFA, North Carolina School of the Arts.
Quintessence Theatre Group – Board of Directors
Ji Won Choi
Joan Coale
Janai Haynes
Lucy Bell Sellers
William Sicks
Quintessence Theatre Group
PO BOX 27213
Philadelphia PA 19118
Quintessence Theatre Group can be reached by phone at 215.240.6055.
The Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119