Northumberland Players celebrates our 40th Anniversary of bringing the best in musicals, comedies, and drama to theatre lovers in Northumberland County and beyond. The not-for-profit community theatre company has grown over the past 40 years from a small group of dedicated volunteers staging musicals in school auditoriums to over 300 enthusiastic volunteers.
The Ruby Memories Gala was held on March 24, 2017. For details, see Ruby Memories Gala
The 2016-2017 Season features a mix of comedic dinner theatres, classic plays at the Firehall, a renowned family musical at the Capitol, a Shakespearean comedy for secondary school students, a children’s show for school audiences and families, our traditional Christmas radio play, a play by a local playwright, and a musical dinner theatre as a new twist. Three of the productions are Canadian as we get a head start on celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. This season really has something for performers and patrons of all ages.
The 2016-2017 season features successful veteran directors. Matt Kowalyk, who made his directing debut last year with The Glass Menagerie will direct the Pulitzer winning play Proof at the Firehall. Jack Boyagian, who most recently directed Harvey, will direct the hilarious Tony award winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Christine Sharp who directed Les Belles Soeurs will bring her musical background to directing a fun seasonal musical, The 1940s Radio Christmas Carol. Jim Finan, who directed his way to Best Director and Best Play in the Eastern Ontario Play Festival for Boeing Boeing, will be directing the popular musical Joseph and the Technicolor® Dreamcoat at the Capitol Theatre. Brenda Worsnop returns to the Firehall to direct Waiting for the Parade. Val Russell, Marie Anderson and Alina Adjemian, who staged The Secret Garden, are working on a more intimate musical comedy, Forever Plaid, as an exciting twist on dinner theatre.
John Lunman a seasoned director from Oshawa is a new director to the Players. He will direct Jenny’s House of Joy by Norm Foster. After the tremendous response to local playwright Dave Clark’s premiere of To Shut the Mouths of Lions, Jessica Outram, local writer and director who performed in The Secret Garden, will bring her extensive experience to the Players as she directs her own play, Once Upon a Rocking Chair.
Northumberland Players is building a stronger youth program by expanding the opportunities for children and youth to experience live theatre in their community. Along with the fun, our summer and March Break camps provide many children with theatre skills which they use when they perform in camp shows and in our productions, both those aimed at student audiences and in youth roles like the young sons in Macbeth, Mary Lennox and Colin and the children’s chorus in The Secret Garden, and Charlie Brown and Lucy and the gang in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The children’s Christmas show continues to draw large audiences. Last year 2800 children and their families saw A Charlie Brown Christmas and we expect to see full houses again for The Jungle Book. Shakespeare returns, in this 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death, as a student-focused show. Paula Worley will direct A Twelfth Night which will be performed in student matinées and public performances. The mandate of Northumberland Players Youth Theatre is to include and engage more youth, both as performers and on the production teams. This season, over 50 students will be on stage in three of our productions. Look forward to seeing younger faces gaining valuable experience in the theatre and in Northumberland Players.