Genesius Theatre

Genesius Theatre is a community theater company based at 153 N 10th St in Reading, Pennsylvania. The organization produces live stage work performed largely by people from Berks County and the surrounding area, with casts and crews drawn from the community rather than from a resident company of touring professionals. Its season typically mixes musicals with straight plays, giving local performers a place to work on stage and giving audiences in Reading a place to see live theater without traveling to Philadelphia, Allentown or Lancaster.

The company's name comes from Genesius, the figure traditionally regarded as the patron saint of actors and performers, a naming convention used by theaters and performing arts groups in a number of cities. In practice, the organization functions as a nonprofit arts group: productions are supported by ticket sales, donations, sponsorships and the labor of volunteers who handle everything from set construction and costume work to front of house duties on performance nights.

Location and Surroundings

The theater sits on North 10th Street in downtown Reading, within the city's central grid and a short distance from the Penn Street corridor, the Reading Public Museum district and the restaurants and civic buildings that cluster near City Hall and the county courthouse. The downtown setting means that many patrons combine a performance with dinner nearby, and the location is reachable from most parts of Berks County by way of Route 422, Route 222 and the Warren Street Bypass.

Street parking is available in the surrounding blocks, and nearby municipal lots and garages serve the downtown area. Guests arriving for an evening performance often find it useful to allow extra time to park and walk to the building, particularly on opening weekends and for popular family titles when houses tend to fill. Staff and volunteers are generally present outside and in the lobby before curtain to point arriving patrons in the right direction.

What the Company Produces

Programming at a community theater of this size usually spans several categories across a season, and Genesius Theatre's work reflects that range:

• Full scale musicals, including Broadway titles that call for a sizable cast, live music and built scenery
• Plays, among them comedies, dramas and occasional contemporary works
• Family oriented productions scheduled at times of year when younger audiences are most likely to attend
• Seasonal and holiday programming
• Special events, concerts, cabarets and fundraising performances that fall outside the main season

Because the company works with local talent, the performer pool changes from show to show. Auditions are generally open, which allows experienced community actors, students, teachers, tradespeople and first time performers to appear in the same production. For audiences, this is part of what distinguishes community theater from touring work: the people on stage are often neighbors, coworkers and classmates.

Education and Youth Involvement

Youth participation is a standard part of community theater in Pennsylvania, and Genesius Theatre involves young performers in its work, both in productions that call for children and teenagers and through programming aimed at building skills in performance and stagecraft. Families interested in opportunities for young actors, including audition schedules and any classes or workshops being run in a given season, can call the theater at +1 610-371-8151 for current details. Behind the scenes roles are also a point of entry for students interested in lighting, sound, props, costumes and stage management.

Accessibility

The venue is set up to accommodate patrons with mobility needs. According to the information listed for the business, it provides:

• A wheelchair accessible entrance
• Wheelchair accessible seating in the house
• A wheelchair accessible restroom

Patrons who use a wheelchair, walker or other mobility device, or who need seating close to the stage or on a particular aisle, are encouraged to mention this when reserving tickets so that appropriate seats can be held. Calling ahead is the most direct way to confirm arrangements for a specific performance.

Planning a Visit

A few practical points are worth knowing before attending a show:

• Performance schedules vary by production, with evening performances common on Fridays and Saturdays and matinees frequently offered on Sundays.
• Run lengths are limited. Community theater productions usually play for a small number of weekends, so it is sensible to check dates early for a title of interest.
• Arriving ahead of curtain allows time for parking, picking up tickets at the box office and finding seats before the house lights go down.
• Group attendance is a regular part of community theater audiences, and organizations, schools, scout troops and social clubs frequently attend together. Questions about group seating can be directed to the theater by phone.
• Seating charts, ticket availability and any content advisories for a given show are best confirmed directly with the box office.

Volunteering and Supporting the Theater

Nonprofit community theaters depend on volunteer labor, and the range of roles extends well beyond acting. People with carpentry, painting, sewing, electrical, graphic design, bookkeeping or hospitality skills regularly find a place in a production team, as do those willing to usher, work concessions, run the box office or help strike a set after closing night. For residents who want to be involved in the arts in Reading without performing, this is a direct route.

Financial support generally comes through ticket purchases, individual donations, memberships, program advertising and business sponsorship of specific productions. Local companies sometimes underwrite a show or place an advertisement in the playbill as a way of reaching an audience from across Berks County.

Contact

Genesius Theatre is located at 153 N 10th St, Reading, PA 19601. The theater can be reached by phone at +1 610-371-8151 for information on the current season, performance times, ticket availability, accessibility accommodations, audition dates and volunteer opportunities. Phone contact is also the most reliable way to confirm box office hours, which tend to shift depending on whether a production is in performance, in rehearsal or between shows.