Our Mission, Vision, and HISTORY

 Philadelphia Scenic Works (PSW) is a fully outfitted theatrical scene shop, paint space and props shop that provides high-quality, affordable scenic and props fabrication, storage, and build space. PSW serves the Philadelphia region’s robust community of non-profit theatre companies and other cultural and educational organizations by maintaining the highest artistic standards, while embracing a more sustainable future through shared pools of recycled, reused, and repurposed stock and resources.

 Philadelphia Scenic Works (PSW) provides a vital bridge between nonprofit organizations and independent technical artists. These organizations—theatres, museums, schools, and others—can struggle to make scenery and props. They often don’t have the capacity or expertise in house, and commercial shops can’t give their mission the central focus it deserves. PSW, the nation’s first and only nonprofit, fully outfitted scene shop, harnesses the power of shared resources to provide high-quality wood, metal, and paint fabrication services, with our nonprofit partners’ missions at the center of what we do.

At the same time, we provide a stable work environment for independent artists and technicians, and through an investment in our labor pool, education, and on-the-job work programs, we’re creating a healthier and more diverse pool of skilled technicians and artists. Finally, by purchasing in bulk, sharing and reusing materials, and reducing waste, we operate more sustainably than most organizations can on their own. All without ever losing sight of our goal—to keep our services affordable for our local nonprofit partners.

 When one of the region’s only affordable local commercial scene shops, Campbell Studios, ceased operations in 2016, a handful of its clients (InterAct Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon, and Act II Playhouse) came together to see how they could keep the shop open as a non-profit, community-driven organization. Having raised funds to purchase all of Campbell Studios’ equipment, PSW moved into a much bigger (10,000- square- foot) shop space at 2855 Emerald Street in Kensington in the summer of 2017. Since then, PSW has supported dozens of organizations across the region by providing scenic fabrication, shop space, and scenery rentals. These organizations include The Kimmel Center, FringeArts, Philadelphia Horticultural Center, Resident Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company, Theatre Horizon, InterAct Theatre Company, Two River Theatre Company, The Wilma, BalletX, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, and

Philadelphia Theatre Company.