Open Stage of Harrisburg

Open Stage of Harrisburg is a regional professional theatre and educational program dedicated to supporting a company of artists to present diverse offerings of thought-provoking theatre and educational activities in intimate settings.

Open Stage of Harrisburg was founded in 1983 by Donald Alsedek (Artistic Director), Marianne Fischer (Managing Director), and Anne Alsedek (Studio/School Director) as a response to the 1982 Mayor’s Task Force for the Arts for Harrisburg Report, which cited a need for theatre of a higher quality in the area. With a strategic planning grant from the Greater Harrisburg Foundation, Open Stage was founded. The theatre has been located in the Walnut Street Parking Garage, in the heart of downtown Harrisburg, since 1992.

Open Stage presents plays that appeal to audiences who enjoy challenges beyond mainstream theatre offerings. Recent seasons have included such productions as THE FANTASTICKS by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS by Mark Brown, John Patrick Shanley’s DOUBT, BETRAYAL by Harold Pinter and the FLYING SOLO FESTIVAL, a yearly festival of plays for solo performers.

Beginning in 2000 the theatre initiated its program of annual productions for student and adult audiences of Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL was added to that program in 2001. Both productions are presented at Whitaker Center in downtown Harrisburg,

Since 1985, Open Stage of Harrisburg Studio/School, the official education wing of Open Stage of Harrisburg, has provided outstanding training for the theatre. With a mission “dedicated to developing the student's skill, knowledge, and appreciation of the process of acting and the making of theatre”, Open Stage Studio/School offers instruction for all ages. Housed at Open Stage of Harrisburg, its year-round schedule is conducted by an outstanding professional faculty and renowned resident artists who inspire and train students in every aspect of theatre, from voice and choreography to acting and technique.