The New York Times called Totem Pole Playhouse “The Cadillac of Summer Theatres”. Since 1950, Totem Pole Playhouse has provided professional summer theatre to residents and visitors of the Cumberland Valley of PA. Located on Route 30 between Chambersburg and Gettysburg and only two hours from Washington, DC and Baltimore, the theatre is known nationally for attracting high quality professional artists and for its wide variety of theatrical programming.
Along with a roster of seasoned theatre professionals the playhouse has played host to Lee Wilkoff, Barbara Feldon, Ben Davis, Loretta Swit, Melissa Gilbert, Jayne Houdyshell, Keir Dullea, Sada Thompson, John Ritter, Sandy Dennis, Harry Groener, Henry Strozier, Curtis Armstrong and, Jean Stapleton of televisions All In The Family. Revered by members of the theatrical profession and theatre lovers nationwide, Totem Pole continues to provide a summer of theatrical variety & will celebrate its 75th season in 2025.
Founded in 1950 and now in its third location in beautiful Caledonia State Park, the theatre was first led by Artistic Director Karl Genus (1951–1953). For the next 30 years, the late William H. Putch guided the Playhouse into national prominence, working closely with his wife, actress Jean Stapleton (1954 – 1984) .Carl Schurr of Baltimore, MD then served as Producing Artistic Director alongside Wil Love (1985 through 2008), DC based Ray Ficca was Artistic Director (2009 – 2013) and Rowan Joseph, then served as Producing Artistic Director. (2014 – 2019) In 2020, David Hemsley Caldwell became Producing Artistic Director after a long relationship with the Playhouse that began in 1997.
Call 717-352-2164 or visit www.totempoleplayhouse.org for more information.
