Mitch Nugent, Founding Executive Producer, Prima Theatre

A Team Culture Tactics feature piece from our Fall 2025 issue of the Lancaster Thriving Publication

On a winter evening in Lancaster, the staff of a regional financial services company filed into Prima Theatre for Illumination, the theatre’s annual holiday concert. To an outsider, it might have looked like a festive night out. But for company leadership, it was a calculated investment in retention.

The firm had been fighting the same battle many Lancaster employers face: keeping talented young professionals in a competitive labor market. By the end of the evening, they got more than they bargained for. Employees left feeling appreciated and connected, a prospective client who attended signed on shortly afterward, and at Prima’s next production, a hesitant recruit from Washington, D.C., initially wary of moving to what she assumed was a sleepy, secondary city, was won over. She accepted the job.

Stories like these are becoming part of the business case for Lancaster’s arts sector.

The Talent Equation

The numbers underscore the stakes. A recent Gallup survey found nearly 60 percent of American workers are “quiet quitting,” disengaged from their work. Deloitte reports that organizations fostering belonging are twice as likely to hit financial targets. And here in Lancaster, where unemployment runs lower than the national average, the competition for talent is fierce. For companies looking to attract and retain employees, culture, not just compensation, has become a deciding factor.

“Clients and recruits want to know that Lancaster is a place with vitality,” said Hunter Johnson, CEO of TONO Group, the forward-minded architecture and design firm. “Prima is one of those signals. It shows that this community isn’t static. It’s alive, it’s creative, it’s growing.”

The Experiences Ahead

The theatre’s fifteenth anniversary season underscores that impact. Highlights include:

• Illumination – A candlelit holiday concert that has become a Lancaster tradition, blending peace, warmth, and soul.
• The 70s Experience – A joy-soaked concert of disco and rock, from Bohemian Rhapsody to Dancing Queen.
• The Complete History of America (Abridged) – A fast-paced, laugh-out-loud sprint through 600 years of history.
• The Motown Club – A soulful celebration of Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and Motown’s greatest hits.

Each production is designed less like a transaction and more like an experience. A chance for teams, clients, and recruits to encounter Lancaster at its most alive.

From a workforce perspective, the connection is clear. “Prima is a vital force and its dynamic programming energizes our community, and positions companies to attract exceptional talent,” said Salena Coachman, Vice President of Talent Sustainability and Talent Acquisition at Armstrong World Industries.

A Different Kind of ROI

For employers, the return on investment isn’t measured in ticket stubs. It’s in retention rates, signed contracts, and “yes” answers from recruits who might otherwise have looked elsewhere.

“Lancaster’s future isn’t just about what we build,” Nugent said. “It’s about what we nurture.”

As companies search for ways to hold onto talent and win new business, the city’s cultural vitality has become more than a backdrop. It’s a competitive edge and Prima, improbably, is at the center of it.

About Prima Theatre

Founded in 2010 by arts producer Mitch Nugent, Prima began with pop-up cabarets in coffee shops and warehouses before transforming a former Hamilton Watch office into a sleek black box theatre. No seat is farther than four rows from the stage, parking is free and on-site, and the atmosphere feels more like a boutique cultural club than a traditional performing arts center.

At a time when nonprofit theaters nationally are struggling — attendance has fallen 27 percent since 2019, according to the National Endowment for the Arts — Prima has gone against the grain. Its audiences have grown by 32 percent, with patrons on average 25 years younger than the national theatergoer. According to economic modeling based on Americans for the Arts methodology, Prima has generated more than $146 million in downstream economic impact, benefiting restaurants, hotels, and small businesses across Lancaster County.

To explore Prima’s show schedule, sponsorships, group experiences, or community impact opportunities, visit primatheatre.org.

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