Walnut Street Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809, is America's Oldest Theatre. It is also the Official State Theatre of Pennsylvania, and a National Historic Landmark. With nearly 50,000 season ticket holders, the Walnut is also the most subscribed theatre company in the world!

The mission of Walnut Street Theatre Company is to sustain the tradition of professional theatre and contribute to its future viability and vitality. It does so through:

• The production and presentation of professional theatre
• The encouragement, training and development of artists
• The cultivation of diverse audiences
• The preservation and chronicling of its theatre building, a national historic landmark

The Walnut Street Theatre was built by the Circus of Pepin and Breschard, which toured the United States from 1807 until 1815. Pepin and Breschard constructed numerous venues in cities along the East Coast of the United States, which often featured, along with performances of their circus, classical plays as well as horse dramas. The theatre was founded in 1809, going by the name of The New Circus. In 1811, the two partners commissioned architect William Strickland to design and construct a stage and orchestra pit for theatrical performances and the theatre's name was changed to The Olympic. The official website says that the name The Walnut Street Theatre was first used there in 1820, though the name was changed back to The Olympic in 1822 and to The Walnut again in 1828. A travel guidebook from 1849 indicates that in the mid 19th century, this building was called The American Theatre.