Naples Players

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The company's Logo

The Naples Players (TNP) is a community theatre company located in Naples, Florida. The company was founded in 1953 and performs in the Sugden Community Theatre in downtown Naples. It has been named the "Best Live Theatre" in Southwest Florida (including professional theaters) five times by the readers poll of The Naples Daily News, and is ranked as one of the Top Ten Community Theatres in the United States.^[1] ^[2]

1 History
2 Schedule and recent productions
3 2008-2009 Season
4 KidzAct Youth Theatre Program
5 Critical Reception
6 Performance Facilities
7 Blackburn Hall
8 Tobye Studio Theatre
9 Recent Production Photos
10 References
11 External links

[edit] History

Gulfview Middle School

Davis Boulevard Playhouse 1975-1985

Kon-Tiki Playhouse 1985-1998

Sugden Community Theatre 1998-Present

The Naples Players Organization was founded in February of 1953. Its first production, I Remember Mama by John Van Druten, was performed in the auditorium of what is now Gulfview Middle School. The group soon incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation and performed where it could in its first 22 years of existence in the Naples area, from local schools and storefronts to homes. In 1975, they established a home base for the next decade when a 40-seat playhouse was opened at 2363 Davis Boulevard. In 1985, TNP converted the now demolished Kon-Tiki movie theatre on Goodlette-Frank Road.^[1] As the years passed, both the membership and audience for the company grew. However, as TNP entered it's fourth decade of existence in the mid 1990's, the Kon-Tiki Playhouse began to suffer from a crumbling facade and mechanical breakdowns, and it soon became clear that a new location was necessary. Following an unprecedented fund raising campaign, and a partnership with City of Naples in choosing a suitable location, over $6 million was raised to build the Sugden Community Theatre in downtown Naples on a site provided by the City, which was completed in 1998. Ironically, the Sugden Theatre sits only two blocks south of Gulfview Middle School, where TNP staged it's first production 55 years ago. Today, the theatre stages productions year-round, has a dues paying membership of over 480, and features the talents of volunteer actors, directors, designers and crew drawn from across Southwest Florida. The Theatre currently plays to an audience of over 65,000 patrons and season subscription holders annually.^[1]

The company has risen to become one of the top ten community theatres in the entire United States^[2], and a melting pot of volunteer theatrical talent representing all stage disciplines from across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, in part due to the popularity of the southwest Florida area as a vacation and relocation destination. There is an adult education program which offers classes and workshops in acting, singing, dance, improvisation and technical theatre skills.^[3]. The KidzAct program also offers classes and workshops year round with the same level of instruction as the adult courses.^[4].

[edit] Schedule and recent productions

The Players' annual performance season includes seven main stage and four studio productions of more than 240 performances per year. The Players also present five KidzAct productions annually.

Recent productions over the past few years have included Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Enchanted April in 2007, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Present Laughter in 2006, Proof and Oliver! in 2005, Guys and Dolls and You Can't Take it With You in 2004.^[5]

Video Gallery of Recent Era TNP Productions^[6]

[edit] 2008-2009 Season

Summer 2008

Wit (Tobye Studio)
The Secret Garden (Blackburn Hall)

Fall 2008

The Goodbye Girl (Blackburn Hall)
The Women Of Lockerbie (Tobye Studio)
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 (Blackburn Hall)

Spring 2009

The Heidi Chronicles (Tobye Studio)
Moon Over the Brewery (Blackburn Hall)
Anything Goes (Blackburn Hall)
Dinner With Friends (Tobye Studio)
The Sugar Bean Sisters (Blackburn Hall)

^[7]

[edit] KidzAct Youth Theatre Program

KidzAct Program Logo

Kidzact & TNP Oliver! 2005

KidzAct is the youth theatre and theatre education program of The Naples Players, founded in 2002.

While TNP had traditionally produced a youth musical in the summer, an initiative was begun in the early 2000s to create a year-round educational theatre program featuring skills-building and production classes to children and young adults ranging from 4-18 years of age.

The Kidzact program now stages five productions annually. Children audition to be admitted to the production classes, which make use in applying what the students learn in the skills building sections of the classes. There is a full-time director of KidzAct and contracted teachers specializing in voice, dance, improvisation, and acting. Scholarships to the program are available based on financial need.^[4]

In the spring of 2007, KidzAct began an Outreach program. The program teams with local businesses and private donors to present plays in schools which do not have any type of a theatre program. The program does not displace any existing teachers at the chosen school.^[4]

Recent Kidzact productions have included Grease, Fame, Disney's High School Musical on Stage!, Schoolhouse Rock and Peter Pan.

[edit] Critical Reception

Over the years the Naples Players have raised audiences' expectations of just how good community theatre can be; with Beauty and the Beast they've raised the bar yet again.

--Nancy Stetson, Florida Weekly^[8]

For the naysayers who wondered how a "non-professional" theater would tackle the theatrical challenges of the show - an extravaganza with a huge cast, endless ornate costumes and near-constant scene changes — the Players have created a show so polished and large-scale it could easily compete with any of the area’s professional venues.

-- Tiffany Yates, Naples Daily News^[9]

[edit] Performance Facilities

The Sugden Community Theatre building includes two main performance spaces, two sprung floor rehearsal halls, a music room and library, scenic and costume construction shops, plus ticket and administrative offices for the full-time staff. It is located at 701 5th Avenue South.^[2]

The Lobby of the Sugden Community Theatre

Blackburn Hall

Tobye Studio Theatre

[edit] Blackburn Hall

Blackburn Hall is a 326 seat proscenium theatre, with "European" style seating, meaning the aisles are located on the left and right sides of the auditorium. The theatre features an orchestra pit and 66 foot tall fly tower with 29 lines of rigging to "fly" scenery and lights from overhead. There are four motorized lines dedicated to stage lighting, and 25 lines available for scenic use. The stage features a sprung floor which consists of plywood and pine strips constructed with rubber cushioning. This type of flooring "gives" on impact to reduce and prevent foot and leg injuries to dancers. Blackburn Hall is the "mainstage" performance space of the company, as well as the KidzAct program.^[2]

[edit] Tobye Studio Theatre

The Tobye Studio Theatre is a 100 seat "Black Box" theatre in stage parlance. It is a flexible performance space, meaning the layout of the theatre can be changed to offer different seating and performance environments depending on need. The Tobye Studio has allowed the company to perform "edgier" material not necessarily suitable for a mainstage environment such as The Goat or Who is Sylvia?,The Laramie Project, and The Fourth Wall. It is also used as a forum for more intimate stagings of classic plays such as The Lion In Winter and The Glass Menagerie. The space is also used for KidzAct program performances and staged play readings through the company's "ETC..." program.^[2]