Lehigh Valley thespians gathered in the Rodale Community Room, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, for a get-acquainted mixer March 21 where local actors rubbed elbows with area theater professionals.

The new Lehigh Valley Drama Club hosted its inaugural public event, “Connect, Collaborate and Cocktails,” attended by aspiring thespians and seasoned actors, producers, directors and playwrights.

They are part of an effort to bring the “fragmented” theater community together, according to Jason King Jones, Artistic Director, PA Shakespeare Festival.

“I noticed that the theater community [in the Lehigh Valley] is really fragmented and there wasn’t any group of people that are organizing and trying to gather us all together as a team of people,” Jones said to a reporter for Lehigh Valley Press at the event. Jones is in his third year as PSF artistic director.

The Drama Club is “an evolving, ad hoc group of theater creators from throughout the Lehigh Valley,” states the organization’s social media page.

“From community to regional, these are just a few of the companies that have started to connect with a dedication to showing support and ally-ship to each other, and to our communities,” states the social media page.

Sean King, Managing Director of the Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance (LVACA), said, “We’re partnering with the Lehigh Valley Drama Club and their initial event here, a gathering of actors and producers, in order to elevate and sustain the acting community throughout the Lehigh Valley.

“Our goal as LVACA is to support all artists, actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists and others in the creative community in order to support the growth and quality of life through the Lehigh Valley,” said Sean King.

“I’m very fortunate to be here. I just kind of want to dip my toe in the waters and see who I can connect with [and] hopefully work with and see whatever is up next for me. I’m here because there’s a lot of great theater companies in the Lehigh Valley,” said Angelina Dries, who most recently was in Civic Theatre of Allentown’s production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Dries is slated to perform as the character Eleven in Civic Theatre’s “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical,” May 8 - 17.

Also at the event was Nina Metrick, who played Mrs. Lovett in Civic’s “Sweeney Todd.”

Among those attending from Crowded Kitchen Players were co-founder, playwright and director Ara Barlieb and actors Trish Cipoletti, Dan Ferry and David Oswald.

According to Connie Behringer, Associate Producer, PA Shakespeare Festival, an estimated 100 attended the mixer.