A BRIEF HISTORY OF WARREN PLAYERS

Warren Players was organized on November 6, 1930 by a group of seventeen individuals who shared an interest in theater and wanted to bring some consistent theatrical activity to Warren. The expressed interest of the group was "to give Warren something in the way of real entertainment and appreciation of real play production and to develop the talent which abounds in the community."

Three months after the initial meeting of founding members, Players produced its first public play. "Her Husband's Wife", directed by charter member Byron Knapp, opened on February 13, 1931 in the Woman's Club auditorium. Seven decades and almost three hundred public productions later, Warren Players can rightly claim to be one of the longest continuously running amateur theaters in the United States.

Warren Players' inaugural season included the presentation of studio plays exclusively for the enjoyment of the members of the organization. An individual work was produced at each monthly meeting, and photographs from the Players archives show that no effort was spared in the creation of elaborate sets and appropriate costumes for each studio play. Eventually local playwriting contests were held, and the winning entries were presented for the members. Players' membership gradually grew to number in the hundreds, and frequent workshops introduced members to all aspects of theatrical production.

Children's productions began in 1948 with "Many Moons", and in the 1970's, when Jack-in-the-Box Players debuted, children's shows became a feature of most seasons. In 1991, the Youth Connection, a popular high school musical performing group, was formed.

1952 saw the premiere of Warren Players' first musical, "No, No Nanette". Since then, musicals have been a part of every four show season.

For over 40 years, Warren Players struggled with the inconveniences of not having a home of its own. Early productions were held in the Woman's Club auditorium, and in 1963 Players moved to the Beaty Middle School stage. By this time, Players had found a rehearsal and storage space on an upper floor in the old Columbia Theater building on Second Avenue. However, the difficulties of creating sets, props and costumes, transporting them to Beaty, and having limited rehearsal time on an actual stage were problematic for the organization. In the early 70's Players set its sights on the vacant St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Water Street. After a successful community fund drive, Warren players moved to its first real home. The church was transformed, largely through volunteer efforts, into a unique and intimate theater space.

As Players approached the end of its third decade on Water Street, the challenges of an aging building and changing demographics could no longer be overlooked. In early 2002, the Players membership voted overwhelmingly to sell Players' Water Street facility. Property ownership had become prohibitively expensive for the non-profit group, and financial survival had to take precedence. In an interesting return to its roots, Players worked out a mutually beneficial rental arrangement with the Woman's Club of Warren and began producing its shows there in January of 2003, starting with an extremely successful production of "Brigadoon". Governed by a volunteer board of directors, the organization has continued to draw from an extraordinary pool of local talent to mount its annual seasons.

In the spring of 2007, Warren Players and the Struthers Library Theatre, with the assistance and encouragement of the Friends of the Library Theatre, signed a cooperative agreement that essentially placed Warren Players in the role of "resident amateur theatre company". Both organizations retain individual identity and non-profit status, but this historic arrangement allows Warren Players to stage its productions on the magnificent stage of the historic Struthers Library Theatre, an 1883 vaudeville house and movie theatre. In the fall of 2006, Warren Players staged "Oliver!" as its first large scale production as resident company at Struthers. By joining together, Struthers and Players have committed to keep the performing arts alive and well in Warren County. This wonderful partnership has been a long time coming and ushers in a positive new era for both entities.

Warren Players has always been a place where one could come to entertain, or be entertained. Many Warren natives have participated in Players productions and gone on to establish careers in the performing arts. Lawrence Riley was an early Players member who went on to be a successful Hollywood screenwriter. Two of Riley's plays, "Personal Appearance" and "Return Engagement", premiered at Warren Players and went on to become, respectively, a film script and a Broadway play. A few decades later, Players veteran Edith O'Hara took the reins of the 13th Street Repertory Company Theater in New York City. Her daughters, Jenny and Jill, appeared in Players shows as teenagers and eventually worked their way into the limelight. Jenny has seen much success as a film and TV actress. Jill was a member of the original cast of "Hair", received a Tony Award nomination for her Broadway appearance in "Promises, Promises", and has established a career as a cabaret soloist. Currently several individuals who came of age on the Players stage in the 1970's and 80's have successful careers as performers and production specialists in Los Angeles and New York.

As Warren Players thrives in its eighth decade of offering classic and contemporary theater for the entertainment of the Warren community, pride in its illustrious past and an enthusiasm for all that lies ahead in the new millennium will carry Players forward to continue its tradition of quality community theater for all ages.