Theatre of Living Arts
Philadelphia theatre
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The TLA, formally the Theatre of Living Arts, is a live-entertainment venue on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although the present concert venue dates from the late 1980s, the building has supported entertainment businesses since the early twentieth century. It opened in 1908 as the Crystal Palace, a venue with seating for roughly 700 people, and was later used as a concert hall and as a Warner Bros. movie theater under the name New Palace Theatre. Its changing uses reflect the broader commercial and cultural evolution of South Street, which moved from an established entertainment corridor into a center of Philadelphia’s counterculture and alternative arts scenes. The Theatre of Living Arts name became associated with regional theater in the 1960s. The Philadelphia Council for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit formed by Celia Silverman and Jean Goldman, acquired the deteriorated cinema in 1964 and commissioned Philadelphia architect Frank Weise to redesign it as a 431-seat theater with a thrust stage. Andre Gregory served as artistic director, and the resident company, the Southwark Players, opened the theater in January 1965 with Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo. Gregory’s three-season tenure produced 15 plays and brought national attention to the venue. The company presented ambitious and sometimes controversial work, while its performers and collaborators included figures such as Morgan Freeman, Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, Sally Kirkland, and Ron Leibman. The theater also hosted touring artists, educational programs, and youth performances. Attendance and financial pressures eventually led to closure after the 1969–70 season. The building reopened in 1971 as a repertory cinema under entrepreneur Al Malmfelt. Its programming combined classic, foreign, art, horror, serial, and controversial films, including a midnight monster series. The cinema became especially associated with The Rocky Horror Picture Show after presenting the film in 1976, reportedly becoming the first Philadelphia theater to screen it and supporting the participatory fan culture surrounding repeated screenings. The TLA also played an important role in the exposure of John Waters films, including Pink Flamingos, at a time when many mainstream theaters would not show them. In the mid-1980s, the venue attracted national attention when it screened Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail Mary despite strong Catholic opposition and street protests. Former cinema employees Claire Brown Kohler, Eric Moore, and Ray Murray formed Repertory Cinema, Inc. in 1981 and later developed the TLA Entertainment Group. Their operation continued the repertory-film business and expanded into video retail through the neighboring TLA Video store. As home video and cable television weakened the economics of repertory cinema, the building was sold in 1987 to Allan Spivak of Electric Factory Concerts. After a rapid renovation, the venue reopened for theatrical productions in October 1987 and shifted to concert presentation in 1988. Since becoming a concert venue, The TLA has operated as an intimate room for touring artists, emerging acts, and established performers. Its programming has included rock, punk, metal, alternative, pop, singer-songwriter, and other contemporary music. Notable performers associated with the venue include Jane’s Addiction, Joan Jett, Tori Amos, Anthrax, the Cranberries, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Patti Smith, Fiona Apple, Adele, and Sabrina Carpenter. Live Nation acquired the venue in 2006, and it was briefly marketed as The Fillmore at TLA before the TLA name was restored in 2008. The venue remains known for its compact scale, acoustics, South Street location, dark red interior, chandeliers, and wall-mounted concert memorabilia.
History
The building now associated with The TLA began its entertainment history in 1908 as the Crystal Palace, a venue seating approximately 700 people. It became a concert hall in 1927. In 1941, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corporation assumed management and converted it into a movie theater called the New Palace Theatre. Its popularity declined during the 1950s, and the property later became the basis for a major nonprofit theater experiment. In 1964, Celia Silverman and Jean Goldman established the Philadelphia Council for the Performing Arts and acquired the deteriorated building. Architect Frank Weise redesigned the interior as a 431-seat regional theater with a thrust stage, removing seats and expanding the building’s lobby and rear facilities. The Theatre of the Living Arts opened in January 1965 with Galileo by Bertolt Brecht. Andre Gregory served as artistic director, while the resident Southwark Players took their name from the historic Southwark Theatre that had once stood nearby. Gregory directed a program of 15 productions over three seasons, combining modern drama, experimental staging, touring artists, education, and youth programming. The company gained national notice, but artistic disagreements, weak ticket sales, and financial problems contributed to Gregory’s departure in 1967. The theater closed after the 1969–70 season, and the building was sold. Entrepreneur Al Malmfelt leased the site in 1971 and reopened it as a single-screen repertory cinema. The new cinema screened nearly 20 films per week across classic, foreign, art, horror, serial, and controversial-film categories. Its midnight horror programming and informal concessions helped establish a countercultural identity. The theater’s 1976 presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a major local success and helped create a recurring audience tradition involving costumes and audience participation. The venue also screened John Waters films, including Pink Flamingos, contributing to their exposure beyond specialist audiences. During the late 1970s, American Theater Arts for Youth used the stage for school-oriented productions. The cinema faced increasing pressure from VHS and cable television. In 1981, Claire Brown Kohler, Eric Moore, and Ray Murray, former employees of Malmfelt’s operation, founded Repertory Cinema, Inc. and later expanded the business into TLA Entertainment Group. They operated the repertory cinema and opened the neighboring TLA Video store. In 1986, the cinema became the focus of a cultural and religious controversy over its decision to show Hail Mary by Jean-Luc Godard. Protesters picketed the theater, and demonstrations temporarily affected traffic on South Street. Allan Spivak of Electric Factory Concerts acquired the building in September 1987 after the repertory cinema’s attendance and finances deteriorated. A 16-day renovation replaced or refreshed much of the interior, and the venue reopened in October 1987 with Lady Day, a Billie Holiday musical written and directed by Stephen Stahl and starring Ann Duquesnay. The building was converted into a concert venue the following year. Its subsequent history has centered on live music, with the room serving both developing artists and major touring performers. The venue became known for acoustics and an intimate audience experience, while its South Street address linked it to Philadelphia’s alternative cultural history. Live Nation purchased the venue in 2006. During a short period it was promoted as The Fillmore at TLA, but the TLA name returned in June 2008. The current venue continues to present concerts in a compact historic setting and remains part of Live Nation’s Philadelphia event network.
- 2008
TLA name restored
[1]The venue returns from the Fillmore branding to the Theatre of Living Arts identity.
- 2006
Live Nation acquisition
[1]Live Nation purchases the venue and temporarily uses the Fillmore branding.
- 1988
Concert venue era begins
[1]The venue completes its conversion into a live-music room.
- 1987
Electric Factory Concerts acquires the building
[1]Allan Spivak purchases the property and begins its conversion toward theatrical and concert use.
- 1981
TLA Entertainment Group lineage begins
[1]Claire Brown Kohler, Eric Moore, and Ray Murray establish Repertory Cinema, Inc., later associated with TLA Entertainment Group.
- 1976
Philadelphia’s first Rocky Horror screening
[1]The TLA begins showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which develops into a successful recurring fan event.
- 1971
Reopens as a repertory cinema
[1]Al Malmfelt leases the building and launches a single-screen repertory-film program.
- 1965
Theatre of the Living Arts opens
[1]The regional theater opens with Galileo under artistic director Andre Gregory.
- 1941
Becomes the New Palace Theatre
[1]Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corporation converts the venue into a movie theater.
- 1927
Converted into a concert hall
[1]The Crystal Palace begins operating as a concert hall.
Products and positioning
A historic, intimate Philadelphia concert venue with roots in regional theater, repertory cinema, and South Street counterculture.
Live entertainment · 1988
Live concerts
The TLA’s principal offering is a schedule of ticketed concerts in an intimate Philadelphia room. Its programming has encompassed rock, punk, metal, alternative, pop, and singer-songwriter acts, ranging from emerging performers to established international artists.
Film exhibition · 1971
Repertory cinema
Before the current concert era, the venue operated as a repertory cinema showing classic, foreign, art, horror, serial, and controversial films. Its historical film identity is particularly associated with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and John Waters screenings.
Theater · 1965
Regional theater productions
From 1965 through the end of the 1969–70 season, the Theatre of Living Arts operated as a nonprofit regional theater. The Southwark Players presented ambitious modern drama, experimental productions, touring work, and educational programming.
Controversies
1986
Hail Mary screening controversy
The TLA’s decision to screen Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail Mary generated intense opposition from Catholic protesters. The venue reportedly received extensive telephone and written complaints, while picketing and demonstrations around the screening temporarily disrupted South Street.
Brand decisions
2006
Live Nation acquisition and Fillmore rebrandingM&ABackground
Live Nation expanded its control of concert venues and acquired the established Philadelphia room.
Action taken
Live Nation purchased the venue and briefly promoted it using the Fillmore at TLA name.
Aftermath
The original TLA identity was restored in 2008, while the venue remained within Live Nation’s concert operations.
1987
Conversion from repertory cinema toward live entertainmentStrategyBackground
Attendance was weakened by the growth of VHS and cable television, while the repertory-film operation faced economic difficulties.
Action taken
After Allan Spivak and Electric Factory Concerts acquired the building, the venue was renovated for theatrical and concert presentation.
Aftermath
The building reopened with a theatrical production in October 1987 and became a concert venue in 1988.
1976
Launch of recurring Rocky Horror screeningsProduct launchBackground
The repertory cinema was seeking distinctive programming in Philadelphia’s countercultural entertainment market.
Action taken
The TLA screened The Rocky Horror Picture Show and continued with weekly presentations after the film attracted a dedicated audience.
Aftermath
The screenings became a durable fan event involving costumes and audience participation and strengthened the venue’s alternative cultural identity.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/theatre-of-living-arts · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled