Phoenixville: Colonial Theatre Hires New Leader

PHOENIXVILLE - The timing was perfect for Jennifer L. Carlson to land a job as the executive director of the century-old Colonial Theatre on Bridge Street.

Carlson, a Lancaster County native with more than two decades of experience in the arts, was looking for a job in the Philadelphia region after her husband, Ben, landed a new job at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

The Carlsons live in Middletown, Conn., and are moving back to Pennsylvania to be close to their families.

An opening came up at the Colonial, and Carlson applied and got the job.

She couldn’t be happier.

“I can’t wait to start,” said Carlson, who is working as the executive director of Connecticut River Museum, Essex. She plans to start her new position in April.

“I am coming back to my roots to work in theater and performing arts. It seems so natural. Phoenixville is a hip, thriving town.”

Carlson and her husband plan to move to an apartment in the borough. She looks forward to walking on the Schuylkill River Trail and dining in the local restaurants.

Carlson was hired after a three-month, national search conducted by Dunleavy & Associates of Plymouth Meeting. She is preceded by Ken Metzner, who departed in August 2021 to helm Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

“Jennifer’s breadth and depth of experience in the arts sector will undoubtedly help the Colonial grow and expand its audience, impact on the community, and contribution to the region’s cultural offering,” said Suzanne V. Norris, Colonial board president.

Carlson, 48, said her background in theater and performing arts and historic buildings will be helpful in her new position.

She looks forward to helping with the restoration of the 1903 theatre and working on the programs for the theatre.

“The mission of the Colonial Theatre - to nurture community by celebrating the power of film and the performing arts to entertain, inform, and reveal meaning - is more important now than ever,” she said.

Background in the arts

A graduate of Temple University with a bachelor of arts in theater, Carlson also earned a master’s degree in Central and Eastern European Studies from La Salle University, where she produced the premiere of “A Little Play About Betrayal, For One Actress,” by Ukrainian playwright, Oleksandr Iravanets.

Her jobs include work at the Wyck Association, which preserves an historic mansion and gardens in Germantown, and the People’s Light Theatre in Malvern.

She also worked in academics as an assistant dean at La Salle; assistant director of marketing at Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University, and program director of Historic Philadelphia Inc.

Known for its starring role in the 1958 sci-fi horror film, The Blob,the Colonial offers new independent and classic films from all genres as well as live concerts, comedy, and theater organ performances.

The theatre serves beer, wine, and traditional movie theater concessions and is open Wednesday through Sunday.

For more information, follow the Colonial Theatre on social media and visit thecolonialtheatre.com.