Apple Hill Playhouse apple logoApple Hill PlayhouseHome of Orchard Performing Arts Company, Inc. · Delmont, Pennsylvania

About Apple Hill Playhouse and OPAC

Orchard Performing Arts Company, Inc. (OPAC) is the non-profit theatre company that made Apple Hill Playhouse its home. Its mission, to preserve and advance the traditions of live theatre through entertainment and education, shaped everything from the summer mainstage to children's theatre, classes and scholarships.

 Apple Hill Playhouse 2003

Mission Statement
To preserve and advance the traditions of live theatre through entertainment and education.  Our goal is to foster public interest in and awareness of the performing arts, thereby developing a contingent of knowledgeable theatre patrons.  We seek to serve persons of all ages in the tri-state area by continuing to strive for excellence in all endeavors.

Organizational Summary
Orchard Performing Arts Company, Inc. (OPAC) has been in existence for 16 years and Apple Hill Playhouse since 1952.  Since OPAC's inception, we have provided Westmoreland County and surrounding area residents with quality theatre, educational outlets and children's programming.  Each year OPAC produces two musicals at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, two musicals and four dramas at Apple Hill Playhouse and one courthouse drama at the Westmoreland County Courthouse.  In addition, OPAC is the sole producer of the Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre (JACT), which annually presents six children's theatre productions, including one children's production which tour to area grade schools.  through the JACT, OPAC has established an Apprenticeship Program.  This program is designed to give five Westmoreland County high school students hands-on experience in the operation of theatre, utilizing the Children's Theatre as a laboratory.  This program also provides the Coordinator and Apprentices with paid summer employment , making theatre as a career choice a more viable option.

Also, OPAC offers theatre education classes to children and teens ages 4-12, presents a $1,000 annual service award to a graduating high school student who has distinguished themselves with service to the performing arts and who is entering an institution of higher learning with a performing arts major and participates with the local high schools in Arts in Education Day, and with the New Works Festival in Pittsburgh.

The production and administrative decisions of OPAC are made by a consensus of the Executive Staff of Executive Director, Business Manager and Artistic Director with approval of all major decisions from the Board of Trustees.  All decisions are based on previous production success/failure history, financial stability of OPAC and facility restrictions.

A short history

The Apple Hill barn became a theatre in the mid-1950s, when Gerta Bendl turned a pre-Civil War barn on the old Martz Farm into a performance space. A group linked to the Pittsburgh Playhouse later enlarged it as the William Penn Theater, and in 1964 three theatre-makers associated with Mountain Playhouse bought it and renamed it Apple Hill Playhouse. Pat Beyer bought the theatre in 1982 and led it as producer and artistic director until it closed in 2020.

Under her leadership the barn became the home of Orchard Performing Arts Company, which produced a May-to-October mainstage season, the Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre, courthouse dramas in Greensburg, classes, apprenticeships and scholarships. The full story is told in The History of Apple Hill Playhouse.

Where things stand now

In July 2020 Apple Hill Playhouse announced it would close, and the barn property was sold in 2021. OPAC has continued to produce shows under the name Apple Hill Players, for example Over the River and Through the Woods at the Trafford Performing Arts Centre in 2022. This website is kept as a record of the theatre's work. Please check OPAC's own current channels for present-day performances.

Staff and board of directors (2004)

Mission Statement
To preserve and advance the traditions of live theatre through entertainment and education.  Our goal is to foster public interest in and awareness of the performing arts, thereby developing a contingent of knowledgeable theatre patrons.  We seek to serve persons of all ages in the tri-state area by continuing to strive for excellence in all endeavors.
Organizational Summary
Orchard Performing Arts Company, Inc. (OPAC) has been in existence since 1982 and Apple Hill Playhouse since 1952.  Since OPAC's inception, we have provided Westmoreland County and surrounding area residents with quality theatre, educational outlets and children's programming.  Each year OPAC produces two musicals and six comedies/dramas at Apple Hill Playhouse.  In addition, OPAC is the sole producer of the Johnny Appleseed Children's Theatre (JACT), which annually presents six children's theatre productions, including one children's production for school field trips.  Through the JACT, OPAC has established an Apprenticeship Program.  This program is designed to give five Westmoreland County high school students hands-on experience in the operation of theatre, utilizing the Children's Theatre as a laboratory.  This program also provides the Coordinator and Apprentices with paid summer employment , making theatre as a career choice a more viable option.

Also, OPAC offers theatre education classes to children and teens ages 4-12, presents a $1,000 annual service award to a graduating high school student who has distinguished themselves with service to the performing arts and who is entering an institution of higher learning with a performing arts major and participates with the local high schools in Arts in Education Day.

The production and administrative decisions of OPAC are made by a consensus of the Executive Staff of Executive Director, Assistant Producer, and Business Manager with approval of all major decisions from the Board of Trustees.  All decisions are based on previous production success/failure history, financial stability of OPAC and facility restrictions.

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