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The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents:

“The Contrast”

Written in 1787, “The Contrast” was America’s first comedy and an indisputable hit in its time!

by Royall Tyler
directed by Ann Garner

April 9-26, 2026
The Bluver Theatre @ the Drake

The sentimental Maria is unhappily engaged to Dimple, a dandy whose recent European tour has given him expensive tastes and a tendency to flirt with her friends. They all seem on track for a life of misery until Colonel Manly and his salt-of-the-earth waiter Jonathan arrive in town to disrupt this disreputable plot. Fresh from the American Revolution, this 1787 gem is a comedy of manners that helped define what American manners were to become.

Philadelphia attendees will receive $10 off a general admission ticket. When purchasing, select the General Admission ticket and input this code before check-out:

ASECS2026

Click here to go directly to tickets:

https://philartistscollective.app.getcuebox.com/o/8K07DCLV/shows/BTHQN350

For more about the production and PAC, see our website:

https://www.philartistscollective.org/thecontrast.html

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2026 Clifford Lecture

Paola Bertucci, Professor of History and History of Medicine; Curator-in-charge, History of Science and Technology Division, Peabody Museum

April 10, 2026, 11:00am
The Sheraton Philadelphia

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Gulliver’s Travels

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