Page 36 - The Hunt - Fall 2024

Professional regional theater flourished nationally in the postwar era of the 1950s and ’60s, as actors flocked to star in plays off Broadway. While several of these theaters are still active, their numbers have diminished. In our area, the three at the forefront are
all dependent on professional casts, while each has a different operating structure.
In addition to UD’s REP, which just finished its 16th season, there’s People’s Light in
Malvern, celebrating its 50th year, and Delaware Theatre Company, which began in 1979.
After Bud Martin retired from
Delaware Theatre Company in
June 2023, his second-in-command,
Matt Silva, took over as executive director and is just finishing his first season in that role. “I caught the acting bug at 6,” Silva says. “In graduate school, I figured out that
people wouldn’t pay to see me act.
Then I worked six years in directing until I decided I couldn’t make a living doing that—and so I studied marketing and theater management.”
DTC presents five shows annually. “Not anything too political or with any deep moral themes,” Silva says. “I like to present plays that start a conversation or make people feel good.”
After 10 years as executive director of Delaware Theatre Company, Bud Martin retired in June 2023.