The Theatre of Living Arts (known commonly as the TLA) is a concert venue that is located on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1964, Andre Gregory was hired as artistic director, with Silverman and Goldman acting as unpaid producers.

Troupe members included: Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, Sally Kirkland, Ron Leibman and Morgan Freeman.

In 1978, the American Theater Arts for Youth used the venue[8] for several productions including: Babes in Toyland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Wizard of Oz.

That same year, former employees Claire Brown Kohler, Eric Moore and Ray Murray began researching ways to reopen the theatre.

To save costs when the theatre reopened, the new team planned to travel round trip to New York City to exchange reels.

[11] The initial store opened next to the theatre; four additional locations were then added throughout the Philadelphia metro area.

[11] In 1986, the TLA premiered Jean-Luc Godard's Hail Mary, sparking backlash by many Catholic members of the community.

The newly-improved theatre's first show was a production of the 1986 Outer Critics Circle Awards-winning (and 2014 Tony Award-winning) musical Lady Day, which opened on October 21, 1987.

In February 1986, the TLA found itself in the middle of a controversy when the theatre decided to show Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail Mary.

The film was very controversial among Catholics at the time leading it to be denounced by Pope John Paul II in April 1985.

[12] In response to the announcement of the film's premiere, the TLA group received a hundred calls a day and 2,000 letters in protest.

[11] The film was eventually shown at the TLA for a week and was met with picketers and protesters causing South Street to be shut down for a time.