Still Filling Seats at the Devon

Though Mayfair’s Devon Theater on Frankford Avenue was forced to cancel its first theatrical production season midway through due to budget cuts, the theater’s productions otherwise seem to be thriving.

Mike Votel, 23, a bar manager at the theater, said a Rolling Stones tribute concert in the end of February sold out quickly — all 400 seats in the theater, plus an additional 50 upstairs seats were sold.

Votel said the theater tries to keep ticket prices reasonable despite its need for funds, and the tickets for that particular concert were $20 apiece.

Though the Mayfair native says he’s attached to the neighborhood and especially to the Devon — he began working there shortly after it reopened after renovations a few years ago — he plans to move to California soon to pursue a career in the film industry.

He said the Devon and the neighborhood have both come a long way.

“Mayfair is a really great place in Philly,” the 2008 Temple graduate said. “Entertainment and art is something that’s really here. This can bring people out.”

Morgan Zalot and Stephen Zook, Group 20, Northeast Philadelphia