'​Playhouse Books In The Barn' Launches In New Hope

NEW HOPE, PA — The Bucks County Playhouse will continue its new book club series, “Playhouse Books in the Barn,” with five additional meetings scheduled throughout 2025.

The series blends literature and theater, connecting selected books with productions in the Playhouse’s 2025 mainstage season. Held in the Playhouse barn, the events are designed to spark engaging conversation and build community around the arts.

Tickets are $20 per session and include light refreshments. A cash bar will also be available. Seating is limited, and reservations are required.

Book selections are curated in partnership with Playhouse staff and the Doylestown and Lahaska Bookshops. The goal is to inspire discussion related to the Playhouse’s current productions.

Books are not included in the ticket price. Participants may obtain their own copies or receive a 20 percent discount at the Lahaska Bookshop, 162A Route 263, Peddler’s Village, Lahaska.

The series kicked off March 5 with a sold-out discussion of “Run, Rose, Run” by James Patterson and Dolly Parton. The event featured special guest Marty Dodson, a Nashville-based songwriter and co-writer of the score for “Hard Road to Heaven,” the Playhouse’s season opener.

Dodson has written 10 No. 1 hits, including Kenny Chesney’s “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven” and Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right.” His songs have been recorded by more than 150 artists, including Blake Shelton, George Strait, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood.

Upcoming book selections include:

• May 7 – “At the Edge of the Orchard” by Tracy Chevalier, paired with “The Apple Boys”
• June 25 – “But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” by Laura Flam, paired with “Leader of the Pack”

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Bucks County Playhouse box office at 215-862-2121 or visiting buckscountyplayhouse.org.