LANCASTER, Pa. — July 18, 2025
In a venue once used by Hamilton Watch Company executives, the space now rings with intergenerational energy. There’s no mezzanine or orchestra pit. Just 120 seats arranged in close proximity to the stage — a room designed less for spectacle and more for presence.

This is Prima Theatre — a nonprofit arts organization that began 15 years ago as a scribbled idea on a napkin at Prince Street Café. Today, it is one of the few theatres in America reporting rising attendance. And as it launches its 15th anniversary season, Prima is inviting the Lancaster community to do something unexpected: make room for joy.

“What has the opportunity to ensure Lancaster doesn’t become another town people just drive through — but one where people want to do business, live, and thrive — is not exclusive to having great businesses and schools,” said Mitch Nugent, Prima’s founding executive producer. “It’s a community with soul. A sense of cultural vibrancy. So the places creating fresh energy? We need to be fueling that.”

From Coffee Shop to Cultural Anchor

Prima entered Lancaster’s arts landscape not with a mainstage or gala, but with a single question: What if a theatrical experience made people feel more alive?

Its earliest shows were intimate, raw, and nomadic — cabarets beside espresso machines, pop-up concerts in garages and film studios, Broadway-caliber vocalists singing feet from the crowd. These weren’t conventional performances. They were gatherings.

“It’s been about invigorating lives,” Nugent said. “People can feel that.”

By 2018, Prima transformed the former Hamilton Watch Company headquarters into a minimalist black box theatre with no row farther than four from the stage and free parking onsite. Today, the venue welcomes thousands annually and, according to Nugent, pulses with “espresso for the soul.”

A Model That Defies National Trends

While many nonprofit theatres are reporting significant decline — with national attendance down 27% since 2019, per the National Endowment for the Arts — Prima’s audience has grown by 32% in that same timeframe. It also trends younger, with an average age roughly 25 years below the national norm (Theatre Communications Group, 2024).

To date, Prima estimates more than $146 million in local economic impact, using Americans for the Arts methodologies — revenue that benefits nearby restaurants, hotels, and small businesses.

Still, Nugent notes, the value of what Prima offers isn’t strictly economic.

“Meetings. Errands. More scrolling — repeat,” he said. “And then it hits: Is this really it? Prima is an invitation to step out of the loop and into something electric. These aren’t just shows. They’re moments that crack open joy.”

A Season That Builds Belonging

Prima’s 15th Anniversary Season is curated with that intention: to offer a rhythm of wonder, levity, and connection. The season includes:

• DISENCHANTED – A PG-13 musical comedy where fairy tale princesses tell the truth, with sass and song.
• ILLUMINATION – A candlelit holiday concert of soul, peace, and warmth.
• THE 70s EXPERIENCE – A concert celebration of everything from Bohemian Rhapsody to Dancing Queen and all the disco-era energy.
• THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (Abridged) – A fast-paced, laugh-out-loud tour through 600 years in 90 minutes.
• THE MOTOWN CLUB – A soulful concert channeling the spirit of Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and all the label’s greatest hits.

Beyond performances, Prima is expanding its Creative Current initiative, which provides access to performances for youth and underserved communities, and Encore, a curated program that allows businesses to host private post-show gatherings with performers — blending cultural engagement with relationship-building.

Business as a Cultural Partner

For Prima, partnerships with local companies aren’t just about tickets or sponsorships — they’re about shared investment in community identity. As Nugent puts it, “Lancaster’s future isn’t just about what we build. It’s about what we nurture.”

That philosophy has guided Prima’s growing national collaborations as well. This past spring, Prima premiered We’ll Get Back to You, a surreal office comedy co-developed with bestselling author and cultural thinker Rob Bell. After its Lancaster debut, the production is now being explored for staging in larger markets, including New York and Los Angeles. Prima is now Bell’s official developmental theatre partner.

Still, Nugent emphasizes that Prima’s heart remains in the city where it began. “In an increasingly transactional world, places of togetherness — where laughter, awe, and music create cohesion — are worth fueling,” he said.

Holding Space for What Matters

“There's no pressure to figure it all out,” Nugent said. “Just show up. The experience will do what it does.”

For Prima, that model — rooted in simplicity, presence, and shared joy — has not only defied national theatre trends, but redefined what cultural leadership looks like in a mid-sized city.

In the words of one recent subscriber: “It’s not just a night out. It’s like plugging back in.”

More on Prima and upcoming performances at primatheatre.org.