Open Air Theatre & Theatre Garden

District: House & Theater District
Style: Formal, Historic, Playful
Best Seasons to Visit: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Scale: 0.85 Acres

Framed by a canopy of towering trees and clipped arborvitae, this Italian-style outdoor garden theater has come alive with countless performances of every kind since its debut in 1914. When the stage is unoccupied, the show goes on with delightful fountain performances throughout the day. Beneath the stars, the stunning illuminated fountains nestled within the stage create an experience of wonder and awe.

With a setting that’s impressive in its own right, this grand space is a feat of carefully considered design with thoughtful details. Theater wings tucked into the arborvitae and fountains embedded in the stage add an element of sophisticated visual drama to this charming performance venue. The underground dressing rooms allow for large productions to spring up in the middle of our formal Gardens. Top billing also goes to the 750 illuminated jets colorized with 600 lights, which run daily while in season.

The Open Air Theatre has hosted well over 1,500 performances since it opened more than 100 years ago. From musical acts to military bands, guests have enjoyed every imaginable type of production. The venue’s 1,500 seats allow for the comfortable enjoyment of the likes of Martha Graham, Rufus Wainwright, and Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, to name a few.

Please note: The water features of this garden can be enjoyed from mid-April until early January.

View Open Air Theatre fountain show schedule

A Portrait of Performance

For over 100 years, the Open Air Theatre has infused Longwood with the exuberant sounds of the stage. Framed by a backdrop of manicured evergreens, Longwood has brought the community together in the spirit of our founder’s great love of theater and spectacle.

Fountains of tiny streams of water shoot up from a stage in front of a green grass seating area

April signals an awakening—not only for the early ephemerals in the nearby gardens but for the fountains of this Italian-inspired venue.

Since 1914, Longwood has brought an eclectic roster of national standouts to the stage, including the revered vocalist Betty LaVette, whose emotional performance in 2016 filled the warm night air with her signature, soulful sounds.

View of a crowd enjoying a live concert from upstage behind the performers.

Latin-Grammy Award Winning brother and sister duo Jesse & Joy performed to a packed crowd in 2019, infusing the stage with their signature folk-inflected style: a blend of norteño, cumbia, and rock.

The Kennett Symphony matched the height of summer with an orchestral crescendo in 2016 with their patriotic performance, “Symphony Under the Stars: America the Beautiful.”

four people sit on a bench in front of fountains on a stage

When the stage is unoccupied, the show must go on: 750 jets propel the rhythmic rise and fall of our crystalline fountains, which can be enjoyed through early January.

illuminated fountains in pastel shades of purple, orange, and green in front of a tall tree wrapped in aqua colored Christmas lights at night

As the temperatures drop, the colors warm up for A Longwood Christmas, from mid-November until early-January. More than 600 lights illuminate the fountains to celebrate the holiday season.

A Bit of History

Three people stand on an outdoor stone stage in a garden in an old black and white photo from the early 20th century — Margaretta Carpenter, Pierre S. du Pont, and Alice Belin on the outdoor stage of the Villa Gori, February 1913. Photo courtesy Hagley Museum and Library.

In 1913, founder Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) and his future wife, Alice Belin (1872-1944), traveled to Italy and France and visited a number of villas, including Villa Gori in Siena, Italy. Inspired by what they’d seen, Pierre initiated the design and construction of the Open Air Theatre soon after their return home. At the couple’s annual garden party in 1914, they debuted their new venue to 300 guests, who were treated to dinner and dance performances to the sounds of Beethoven. After half a dozen numbers, the finale had harlequins and dancers emerge, frolicking amongst the guests as they threw confetti and garden roses, before disappearing quietly amid the shadows of the surrounding trees. Newspapers reported that the evening was an unequivocal success, comparing it to a scene at Versailles.

Just two weeks later, Pierre was already planning updates: Water jets and electric lights were added to the stage, along with “secret joke fountains,” inspired by fountains Pierre enjoyed during his visit to Italy. Much to the surprise (and delight) of the guests, water would spring to life when they least expected it. Over the years, Pierre continued to evolve the theater, adding underground dressing rooms, colored lights to illuminate the fountains, and a "water curtain" to use between acts. Since its renovation in 1926-27, the Open Air Theatre has undergone relatively little change.

Under the Stars

black and white image of dancers on a stage among fountains, while a few people casually observe from an audience filled with small dining tables — A Scene of Unusual Beauty

Pierre S. du Pont delighted in the performing arts and was equally passionate about entertaining his guests, and with the Open Air Theatre, he created the space for both. Always a place to see the stars of the era, our stage has captured the spirit and joy of performing under open skies for over a century.

Pictured: Rehearsal for 1915 Garden Party Water Ballet
Photo courtesy Hagley Museum and Library

A group of men in military uniforms pose in a group picture in front of tall fountain jets in a garden — Making History

In the earlier decades, owing to the minimal sound amplification, the stage was best suited to dance, musical theater, and concerts. In 1927, the United States Marine Band (one of Mr. du Pont’s favorites) performed without any concerns about volume! Starting in the mid-1950s until 1986, they performed annually. Mr. du Pont can be seen in front with the band.

An orchestra performs on stage — Orchestral Maneuvers

In 1941, under the direction of Eugene Ormandy, the renowned Philadelphia Orchestra gave an extraordinary classical performance beneath sunny skies, with Mr. du Pont in the audience.

A group of actors get ready dressed as pirates in a dressing room — Ahoy, Matey!

The Savoy Company from Philadelphia was the first theatrical company to perform here in June 1916 with the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Patience. They returned in 1923 with The Pirates of Penzance and have since returned for nearly 100 G&S productions, except in 1927 and during World War II.

Performance program with a pirate on it — Play Time

A playbill from their 1957 performance. Mr. du Pont would always provide a Longwood supper for the cast as well as sandwiches on the train—which at that time ran between Mendenhall and Philadelphia.

A group of ballerinas perform on stage for an audience under lights during a nighttime show — Step Softly

Starting in the late teens and twenties, dance became a feature at the Theatre, including Martha Graham, one of Mr. du Pont’s favorites. Here, the American Ballet Theatre performs Les Sylphides in 1962.

A theater company performs a scene from Hello Dolly! on stage — We Love Local

We’ve welcomed the Brandywiners to our stage for decades. Founded in Delaware, the not-for-profit organization has delighted our guests since 1932. Here, the theater troupe charmed the crowds in 1989 with Michael Stewart’s beloved musical, *Hello, Dolly!*

Students dressed in all white pose on a set of stairs mimicking a vintage photo — Ethereal Energy

Summoning the mood of an early garden party at the Open Air Theatre, students in Longwood’s Professional Horticulture Program staged a playful—and very convincing—1989 reenactment of the aesthetic dancers from Florence Noyes School of Rhythmic Expression, the company employed by Mr. du Pont for a performance in 1915.

A dancer lifts another dancer on stage surrounded by a dance company striking a pose below them — Dancing on Air

Feats of strength and athleticism look effortless as performed by the Brandywine Ballet in 1997.

Man sits at a piano on a stage — Unfollow the Rules

Accompanied by a piano and the beauty of a clear, starry night, Rufus Wainwright played an intimate set for a very lucky crowd.

A man in a blue suit sings on stage into a handheld microphone — Genre Defying

We were lucky enough to host Leslie Odom Jr.,Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer and *Hamilton* star, in June of 2019. His energetic performance added a celebratory spirit to our Festival of Fountains series, which kicks off in May each year.

The Theatre Garden

Whether you’re enjoying an intermission or waiting for the show to begin, have a seat and enjoy this striking formal garden. Once known as the Terrace Garden, today’s Theatre Garden features an eye-catching composition of drought-tolerant plants. Located behind the Open Air Theatre, this area emphasizes sculptural shapes, textural contrasts, and rich foliage. In the early 1970s, a redesign by famed landscape architect Thomas Church aimed to provide an attractive, illuminated evening garden for the patrons of the Open Air Theatre, as well as a stunning entrance to Flower Garden Walk.

While the structure of this garden still echoes the work of Church, the design reflects a more contemporary approach to planting, featuring hardy, desert-inspired plants in a range of blues and purples, with prominent silver foliage that gives this space an otherworldly feel in the evening.

From Our Blog

The Drama and Appeal of Our Theatre Garden

By Gillian Hayward, on July 1, 2020

By Leaps and Bounds: Dance Under the Stars

By Colvin Randall with Katie Mobley, on June 4, 2019

A Flourish of Fountains

By Lynn Schuessler, on June 9, 2017

A Century of Song and Dance Under the Stars

By Colvin Randall, on July 1, 2014