About Bucks County Playhouse

Bucks County Playhouse, whose theatrical legacy dates to its founding in 1939 by a roster of Broadway luminaries, celebrates the 13th anniversary of its 2012 reopening and restoration. Welcoming more than 80,000 patrons annually, the Playhouse continues to help drive the economic resurgence of New Hope and the surrounding region. In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser, Robyn Goodman and Josh Fiedler assumed leadership of the Playhouse, guiding its artistic revitalization and helping it reclaim its reputation for attracting top Broadway and Hollywood talent. Productions of “Company,” starring Justin Guarini, and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” were named to The Wall Street Journal’s Best of Theatre list in 2015. In 2018, the Journal again recognized the Playhouse — and artistic associate Hunter Foster — for its acclaimed production of “42nd Street.” The following year, the publication hailed Bucks County Playhouse as “one of the best regional theaters on the East Coast.” Box office records have been repeatedly broken by signature productions including “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” “Steel Magnolias” (directed by Marsha Mason), “Million Dollar Quartet,” “42nd Street” and “Guys and Dolls” (all directed by Foster), as well as “Mamma Mia!” (directed by artistic associate John Tartaglia and choreographed by Shannon Lewis). 

A brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic did not diminish the theater’s momentum. The Playhouse continued producing onstage and onscreen throughout 2020, culminating in a live summer season in 2021 that welcomed an increasing number of first-time patrons. The 2023 season featured notable productions including Jonathan Larson’s “Tick, Tick … Boom!” (directed by artistic associate Eric Rosen, who returned in 2024 to helm the audience and critics’ favorite “Anastasia: The Musical”), “The Bridges of Madison County,” directed by Foster, and “The Rocky Horror Show,” starring Frankie Grande. Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” became the highest-grossing show in Playhouse history, a record eclipsed by a new production of “Elf: The Musical” in 2025. In both 2024 and 2025, more than 40% of the Playhouse audience consisted of first-time attendees, drawn to record-breaking productions including “Elf: The Musical,” “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Grease!” and “Anastasia: The Musical.” The Playhouse continues to attract top creative teams — artists who relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford and Jessica Walter began their careers.