Our Story

Theatre Horizon. Come as you are. Leave transformed.

Our mission is to use the transformative power of storytelling to foster empathy and to create an inclusive home for artists, audiences, and students alike. We stage stories that illuminate the full range of human experience, bring people together, connect students with theatre artists, and contribute to the revitalization of our diverse and underserved community in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Staff and Board at Grand Opening Weekend

Founded in 2005 by Erin Reilly and Matthew Decker, Theatre Horizon has become an award-winning leader in the arts ecosystem across Montgomery County, the Philadelphia region, and the country. In October 2012 we completed a $1 million capital campaign and opened our permanent home: a 123-seat black box theatre in the heart of Norristown’s Arts Hill District. Since moving to our new home, our services have attracted over 45,000 people to Norristown, making us an anchor of revitalization in the downtown area.

In 2019, on the cusp of our 15th Anniversary Season, our Board of Directors hired Nell Bang-Jensen as Artistic Director. Six months into her tenure, we were forced to close our doors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We pivoted to create virtual programs like Art Houses, where professional theatre artists collaborated with different households in isolation to create an original evening of virtual theatre. This program received accolades in publications like The New York Times and cemented Theatre Horizon’s commitment to innovative, community-centric programming.

Nell Bang-Jensen

TOWN

This community-generated work continued with TOWN, the largest-scale production in our 20-year history. Helmed by Artistic Director Nell Bang-Jensen and Playwright Michael John Garcés, TOWN was a three-act play with original music by Philadelphia-based hip-hop collective, ILL DOOTS. Inspired by stories from over 130 Norristown residents, TOWN featured an ensemble of over 60 community members and professional theatre artists ranging in age from 5 to 98. Over the course of four nights, more than 1,200 audience members set up their chairs and blankets on the front lawn of Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy to watch the world premiere of this play for and about Norristown.

Today, Theatre Horizon presents inspiring musicals, thought-provoking plays, and a series of limited engagements and one-day events in collaboration with professional theatre artists and community members. We also present four pillars of educational programming that have served over 11,500 students–Autism Drama Program, Norristown Supplemental Theatre Education Partnerships (NSTEP), Summer Drama Camps, and After School Drama Clubs—to teach theatre as a life skill. Through process-oriented, play-based theatre practices, our programs encourage three layers of engagement, developing students’ ability to understand themselves, others, and the world at large.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Autism Drama Program Culminating Event

Our pioneering Autism Drama Program began in 2005 and inspires imagination, communication, and interest in personal relationships for individuals on the autism spectrum. Our classes help students develop social skills, verbal expression, empathy for others, and a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. This program entered the national spotlight in January 2023 when it was featured on the nationally syndicated talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. In 2024, Theatre Horizon received our first-ever grant from the Eagles Autism Foundation to pilot a weeklong Autism Drama Summer Camp where students created and performed their own original plays in our theater.

Our Community

Theatre Horizon is invested in the people of Norristown.

Through our community-centric approach, we build long-term, sustainable relationships with Norristown community members by inviting them to become active participants in artmaking and decision-making, instead of merely spectators.

’23-’24 THREAD Artist Deej Cert

Through our community investment initiatives, we are becoming Norristown’s “Third Space”—a social place separate from work and home that is essential for civil society, democracy, and civic engagement across perceived boundaries and moving forward in alignment with community-held values through programs like THREAD (Theatre Horizon Residency for Educational Artistic Development), our first-ever residency program for a Norristown-based artist of any discipline and by hearing feedback from stakeholders on our Community Advisory Board.

With the elevation of lifelong Norristown artist and resident Mydera Taliah Robinson from Education Director to Director of Community Investment in 2022, we have doubled down on our commitment to our community. We are proud that 32% of our current audience lives in Norristown and we recently returned our education programs to their pre-pandemic levels of engagement, now serving 1,000 students annually in Norristown and across Montgomery County.

Director of Community Investment Mydera Talia Robinson

We are proud to partner with organizations across Norristown, Montgomery County, and the Philadelphia region—particularly those serving communities that have been historically marginalized by regional theaters. This includes: Norristown Area School District; ACLAMO (Acción comunal latinoamericano de Montgomery County) Family Centers; CCATE (Centro de cultura, arte, trabajo y educación); Lenape Cultural Center; Montgomery County Senior Adult Activities Center; Hopeworx; Montgomery County Community College; Norristown Literacy Council, Power Street Theatre; GirlsFirst; The Madden School; and many others.

Our Values

At Theatre Horizon, we believe:

•In the power of gathering. Theatre should be a space where everyone belongs, is valued, and is able to find connection–in our rehearsal rooms, classrooms, offices, and audiences.

• We are co-creators of a better reality. Access matters. Representation matters. The stories we choose to tell shape us and shape the future. As art makers, it is our responsibility to prioritize marginalized voices, build community, and embolden the next generation to imagine new possibilities.

• We are always evolving. Everyone arrives with different entry points, identities & intersections. We celebrate the humanity and complexity of all of our community members, and give ourselves the freedom of fluidity as we evolve.

• Progress requires accountability. We acknowledge that values are only as powerful as they are enacted. We purposefully create opportunities for transparency and ongoing communication as we continue this work together.