Our Historical Committee has dug through the archives, sifted through boxes, perused playbills, and endured hours of regaling one-another with stories that start with either; “Do you remember when …” or “I remember once when …” The fruits of their labor are here-displayed as the definitive history of The Village Players dating to our inception in 1956.
Another consequence of sorting through our past is that we realize how many actors, directors, techs, and volunteers have gone to their final rest. Though their feet may never again trod upon our stage, their place in our hearts and memories will never be darkened. However, Actors never die, they just drop a part.
You’ll notice “(#x)” next to some shows. Well, some shows are too good not to repeat, and so we have indicated those shows which we have been compelled to produce more than once.
If you notice any errors or omissions, please let us know by sending an e-mail to info@thevillageplayers.org.
|
1995 – 1996 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The House of Blue Leaves | Damian Rogers |
| November | Slow Dance on the Killing Grounds | Pat Kennedy |
| January | Lips Together, Teeth Apart | Nancy Wright |
| March | Catch Me If You Can | Richard Gray |
| May | Working (#2) | Pat Kennedy |
| Summer | You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown | Pat Kennedy |
|
1994 – 1995 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Jake’s Women | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Shadowlands | Valerie Washeck |
| January | I Ought To Be In Pictures | Joe Sweeney |
| March | Six Degrees of Separation | Nancy Wright |
| May | Extremities | Tom Tomczak |
|
1993 – 1994 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Prelude To A Kiss | Brad Fause |
| November | Goodbye People | Joe Sweeney |
| January | Marvin’s Room | Tom Tomczak |
| March | I Hate Hamlet | Pat Kennedy |
| May | A Day in Hollywood, A Night In The Ukraine | Terry Watson |
|
1992 – 1993 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Rumors | Joe Sweeney |
| November | And A Nightingale Sang | Mark Standriff |
| January | Lettice and Lovage | Pat Kennedy |
| March | That Championship Season | Tom Tomczak |
| May | Company | Brad Faust |
|
1991 – 1992 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Pump Boys and Dinettes | Suzanne Carter Smith |
| November | The Road to Mecca | Tom Tomczak |
| January | Early One Evening At The Rainbow Bar And Grille | Mark Standriff |
| March | Crossing Delancey | Pat Kennedy |
| May | The Heidi Chronicles | Shirley Williams |
|
1990 – 1991 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Broadway Bound | Tom Tomczak |
| November | Silent Night, Lonely Night | John Henzler |
| January | Pinchpenny Phantom of the Opera | Joe Sweeney |
| March | The Gin Game (#2) | Tom Tomczak |
| May | The Boys Next Door | Shirley Williams |
|
1989- 1990 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| September | I’m Not Rappaport | Pat Kennedy |
| November | All My Sons | Tom Tomczak |
| January | The Night Of January 16th | Dennis Sherer |
| March | Alone Together | Joe Sweeney |
| May | The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail | Pat Kennedy |
|
1988 – 1989 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | What’s A Nice Country Like You Doing In A State Like This | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Biloxi Blues | Tom Tomczak |
| January | The Fourposter | Pat Kennedy |
| March | Baby | Mark Smith |
| May | Inherit The Wind | Pat Kennedy |
| Summer #1 | Tintypes | Suzanne Carter |
| Summer #2 | Greater Tuna | Mark Standriff |
|
1987 – 1988 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Brighton Beach Memoirs | Tom Tomczak |
| November | A Delicate Balance | Pat Kennedy |
| January | Educating Rita | Shirley Williams |
| March | Pack Of Lies | Pat Kennedy |
| May | Is There Life After High School? | John Henzler |
|
1986 – 1987 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | True West | Jennifer Rockwood |
| November | Once Upon A Mattress | Carol Kwiatkowski |
| January | The Mousetrap | Tom Tomczak |
| March | Chapter Two | Joe Sweeney |
| May | The Man Who Came To Dinner (#2) | Pat Kennedy |
|
1985 – 1986 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Fools | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Harvey (#2) | Larry Farley |
| January | Agnes Of God | John Henzler |
| March | A Thousand Clowns (#2) | Joe Sweeney |
| May | How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying | Carol Kwiatkowski |
|
1984 – 1985 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Gypsy | Pat Kennedy |
| November | The Odd Couple (#2) | Joe Sweeney |
| January | Mass Appeal | John Henzler |
| March | Wait Until Dark | Carol Kwiatkowski |
| May | Sugar | Carol Kwiatkowski |
|
1983 – 1984 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Rogers and Hart – A Musical Celebration | Wes Skinner |
| November | The Royal Family | Pat Kennedy |
| January | The Subject Was Roses | John Henzler |
| March | Dial ‘M’ for Murder | Larry Farley |
| May | They’re Playing Our Song | Barbara Rainey |
|
1982 – 1983 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The Fantasticks | Rick Hagg |
| November | The Lion in Winter (25th Anniversary Show) |
Pat Kennedy |
| January | Deathtrap (#1) | Jeff Kirby |
| March | The Gin Game (#1) | Pat Kennedy |
| May | A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (#1) | Rick Hagg |
|
1981 – 1982 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | On Golden Pond (#1) | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Kiss Me, Kate | Rick Hagg |
| January | The Shadow Box | Tom Quinn |
| March | The Last Meeting Of The Knights Of The White Magnolia (#1) | Pat Kennedy |
| May | Fiddler On The Roof | Rick Hagg |
|
1980 – 1981 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Tribute | Pat Kennedy |
| November | L’il Abner | Rick Hagg |
| January | When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder | Pat Kennedy |
| March | Sly Fox (#1) | Joe Sweeney |
| May | Working (#1) | Rick Hagg |
|
1979 – 1980 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Sherwood Be Nice | Rick Hagg |
| November | God’s Favorite | Joe Sweeney |
| January | Same Time Next Year | Pat Kennedy |
| March | The Pleasure Of His Company | Joe Bush |
| May | Oliver | Rick Hagg |
|
1978 – 1979 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| September | A Thurber Carnival (#2) | Chuck Mann |
| November | Pippin | Rick Hagg |
| January | Romanoff and Juliet | Tom Quinn |
| March | A Shot In The Dark | Pat Kenedy |
| May | Charley’s Aunt | Joe Sweeney |
|
1977 – 1978 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Table Manners | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Knock, Knock | Joe Sweeney |
| January | The Glass Menagerie | Tom Quinn |
| March | Arsenic And Old Lace (#1) | Joe Sweeney |
| May | The Roar Of The Greasepaint, The Smell Of The Crowd | Wes Skinner |
|
1976 – 1977 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Little Mary Sunshine | Martha Pownall |
| November | Sunshine Boys | Carol Kwiatkowski |
| January | Bell, Book and Candle | Cissy Botwin |
| March | See How They Run (#2) | Joe Sweeney |
| May | The Price | Pat Kennedy |
| Summer | Godspell | James Lukins |
|
1975 – 1976 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The Male Animal | Art Williams |
| November | Witness For The Prosecution | Jim Rudes |
| January | Candida | Pat McDaniel |
| March | Three Men On A Horse | Joe Sweeney |
| May | A Doll’s House (#1) | Maurice Manning |
|
1974 – 1975 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The Country Girl (#2) | Jean Gross |
| November | The Potting Shed | Tom Quinn |
| January | A Streetcar Named Desire | Pat Kennedy |
| March | The Tavern | Caroline Botwin |
| May | The Tiger; The Typist (one-act plays) |
Sheila Sabrey |
|
1973 – 1974 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The Last Of The Red Hot Lovers | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Big Fish, Little Fish | Tom Quinn |
| January | Craig’s Wife | Jean Gross |
| March | A Necessary End | Harold Miller |
| May | Bus Stop | Betty Attie |
|
1972 – 1973 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| October | Private Lives | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Everything In The Garden | Tom Quinn |
| March | Play It Again, Sam | Art Williams |
| May | The Physicists | Caroline Botwin |
|
1971 – 1972 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Plaza Suite | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Under The Yum Yum Tree | Art Williams |
| January | Mary, Mary | Dick Gray |
| March | All My Sons | |
| May | Blithe Spirit | Betty Ann Attie |
|
1970 – 1971 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | The Star Spangled Girl | Art Williams |
| November | A Taste Of Honey | Cathy Pifer |
| January | Wake Up Darling | Leo Puccetti |
| March | The Miser | Helen Gregory |
| May | Harvey (#1) | |
| Summer | I Want Coconuts | Bill Melvin |
|
1969 – 1970 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Barefoot In The Park (#1) | Pat Kennedy |
| November | Antigone | Dr. Norma Stolzenbach |
| January | Black Comedy (#1); Private Ear (one-act Plays) |
Rudy Ertis; Art Williams |
| March | Halfway Up The Tree | Art Williams |
| May | A Company Of Wayward Saints | Cathy Piper |
|
1968 – 1969 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| October | Poor Richard | Ann Rosota |
| January | Luv | Dr. Norma Stolzenbach |
| March | The Spiral Staircase | Lillian Casey |
| May | Never Too Late (#1) | Dr. William Allin Storrer |
|
1967 – 1968 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| October | Sabrina Fair | |
| January | All The Way Home | Caroline Gavin |
| March | George Washington Slept Here | David Ward |
| May | The Odd Couple (#1) | Pat Kennedy |
|
1966 – 1967 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| October | A Thousand Clowns (#1) | David Ward |
| December | Visit To A Small Planet | Rudy Ertis |
| February | Angel Street | Joe Sweeney |
| May | Philadelphia Story | Cathy Piper |
|
1965 – 1966 |
||
| Month | Show | Director |
| October | Light Up The Sky | Ortha Black Stambaugh |
| January | My Three Angels | Dr. Norma Stolzenbach |
| March | Toys In The Attic | Dr. Norma Stolzenbach |
| May | For Love Or Money | Cathy Pifer |
|
1964 – 1965 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Enter Laughing | R. Eugene Rush |
| November | See How They Run (#1) | Larry Leach |
|
1963 – 1964 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| February | Ten Little Indians | Rev. Walter Dean, O.S.F.S. |
| May | Take Her, She’s Mine | Jim Rice |
|
1962 – 1963 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | A Thurber Carnival (#1) | Jim Hill |
| October | Make A Million | R. Eugene Rush |
| November | The Chalk Garden | Jim Hill |
|
1961 – 1962 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| November | The Man Who Came To Dinner (#1) | Jim Hill |
|
1960 – 1961 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| April | Tovarich | Jim Hill |
| August | Send Me No Flowers (first show in theatre on Upton) |
James Hill |
|
1959 – 1960 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| October | Third Best Sport | Dr. Robert Ghering |
| March | Cloud Seven | Richard Gray |
| May | Who Was That Lady? | James D. Stambaugh |
|
1958 – 1959 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| September | Small War On Murray Hill | Dr. Norma Stolzenbach |
| February | The Country Girl (#1) | Jim Stambaugh |
| May | The Sleeping Prince | Ortha Black |
| July | The Witches’ Lullaby (V.P. Junior Theatre) |
|
|
1957 – 1958 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| November | The Seven Year Itch | |
| February | Plain And Fancy | Arthur Lithgow |
|
1956 – 1957 |
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| Month | Show | Director |
| March | The Great Sebastians | Ortha Black |
| July | The Desk Set | Ortha Black |