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ABC Players Athenian Berean Community Players . . . a community theatre serving southeastern Ohio since 1973. |
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ABC Players Athenian Berean Community Players . . . a community theatre serving southeastern Ohio since 1973. |
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We've scheduled one-day workshops on stage combat, directing, and set design. More here. |
Shows for the 2010-2011 Season: We perform in the historic Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, OH. Click here to see all of the shows we have produced since December 1992 (with pictures). Click here to see a scrapbook of stories about us in the press. For TICKETSto our shows, please contact Stuart's Opera House.
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The Odd Couple (Female Version), an adult comedy about mismatched roommates by Neil Simon. Directed by Karen M. Chan. Oct. 28-31, 2010 | Sponsored by |
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The Story of the Nutcracker, a one-act play that is a Christmas present for the whole family. Directed by Celeste Parsons. Dec. 3-5, 2010 | Sponsored by |
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the Pulitzer Prize-winning adult drama by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Ron Luce. Mar. 3-6, 2011 | Sponsored by |
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The Pajama Game, the Tony Award-winning family musical comedy about workers in a pajama factory. Its many memorable songs include "Hey There," "Steam Heat," and "Hernando's Hideaway." Directed by Norman Cohn. Musical Direction by Lynn Sullivan. Choreography by Gladys Bailin. May 6-7, 13-15, 2011 |
AUDITIONS: Tips
Auditions for The Odd Couple (Female Version) will be held at noon at Stuart's Opera House on Saturday, August 28, 2010. Please come on time; plan for three hours. If needed, callbacks will be conducted at noon the following day. Since this is an ensemble show, actors with few time conflicts will be easiest to cast. Save time and hassle by downloading the audition information form; fill it out at home and bring it with you to the audition.
Scripts are available for use in the library at the public libraries in Athens, The Plains, and Nelsonville. There are parts for two men and six women. Actors need to look the age of the characters not necessarily be the age of the character:
Note: You don't have to be a member of ABC Players to audition, get a part, and perform in one of our plays. But, if you get a part in a second play, we'd like you to support the organization by becoming a member.
ABOUT US: History of Athenian Berean Community Players
In the beginning there were the Berean Community Players (BCP), incorporated in 1973. For years, BCP's productions under the direction of Spencer Steenrod and Tony Coleman were the cultural center of gravity in southeast Ohio. Musical directors Katy McCoy and Mary Jane McKinley, were recognized throughout Ohio for the quality of their work.
For several years, Joe Balding and Steve Haskins entertained the idea of forming a community theater group in the Athens area. In the summer of 1992, while working on an Ohio Valley Summer Theatre production of On Golden Pond, Joe outlined his dream to Spence Watson, who was also in the play. Spence and Beth Watson had previously formed an amateur theater company in another community. They shared their experiences at a meeting at the Athens Unitarian Fellowship Hall on August 3, 1992. The groundwork for Athenian Players Theatre (APT) was laid at that meeting.
APT's first production was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, opening in the Athens Unitarian Fellowship Hall on December 10, 1992. Indeed, for our first five years, APT was a sort of nomad theatre, doing shows at such locations as the Unitarian Fellowship Hall, the Athens Middle School, the Senior Citizens Center, and the Friends’ Meeting House in Chauncey. But in March 1997, the historic Stuart’s Opera House reopened in Nelsonville. On October 3, 1997, APT presented I’ll Be Back Before Midnight in the newly restored Opera House and—except for a few special productions in other locations—APT jointly produced shows with BCP in Stuart’s Opera House.
On March 18, 2009, the membership of both organizations voted to merge into a single organization called the Athenian Berean Community Players.
Our normal season is three plays, performed either Thursday through Sunday in a single week or Friday through Sunday of two successive weeks. Sunday performances are matinees; all others are evening shows.
In most seasons, one of the three productions is a musical. These have included The Sound of Music (Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II), Into The Woods (Stephen Sondheim), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stephen Sondheim), and Funny Girl (Isobel Lennart, Jules Styne, Bob Merrill). Comedy and dramatic offerings have included such plays as Rumors (Neil Simon), Night of January 16th (Ayn Rand), Steel Magnolias (Richard Harling), Present Laughter (Noel Coward), and Flowers for Algernon (David Rogers).
For a complete list of our productions, illustrations of the show posters, and some stage photos, please click here.
We are is active in the Ohio Community Theatre Association (OCTA). Our members have served in various leadership roles in OCTA. When we have presented excerpts of our plays at OCTA regional and state-wide festivals, we have earned formal recognition of the excellence of our productions. We have earned awards for acting, direction, sets, costumes, and for our newsletter: The Minotaur.
So, we have a core of talented, experienced members with demonstrated commitment and exceptional abilities. But all of us face competition for our time, and—as with all volunteer organizations—maintaining a strong, exciting program over the years is a challenge. We are taking steps to attract and empower new members, and we are particularly seeking young people who are interested in live theatre. Although we currently have more than 30 paid members, not all are able to be actively involved in productions. Also, since "time keeps on going into the future," we need to continue to attract new members to keep the organization fresh and flourishing. Becoming a member is easy.
We owe our continuing success to numerous supporters. A few have helped us over and over, and they are mentioned here:
Click here for our bylaws. The articles of incorporation are also available on-line, along with the name change filing.
We're also on 
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DONATIONS: We depend on the generosity of donors to cover a wide range of expenses not met by ticket sales. If you would like to donate to Athenian Berean Community Players, please send a note to the mailbox or e-mail address at the Contact Us link.
MEETINGS:The September 2010 meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 14, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville. There will be an opportunity to pay dues for the 2010-2011 year.
Our meetings are open to all; everyone welcome. No obligation. Come and learn about your community theater.
MEMBERSHIP: To become a member of ABC Players, all you have to do is express an interest, be at least 14 years old, and pay $10 a year. The membership year runs from September 1 to August 31. Dues are not prorated. To ensure your membership is correctly recorded, please fill out a Membership Enrollment Form and submit it with your dues.
There are two categories of membership. If you aren't able to participate actively in play production, but you still want to support community theatre, you can join as a Supporting Member. Supporting Members receive all mailings regarding auditions, meetings, and upcoming shows. Members who participate actively (as actors, musicians, ushers, directors, designers, etc.) are known as Guild Members and have the additional privileges of voting on elections of board members and helping to choose the plays that we will produce.
For both categories of membership, the $10 fee covers the cost of printing and postage for the season's mailings.
OFFICERS: The 2009-2010 officers are
Officers are elected annually and serve from September 1st through August 31st.
FUTURE PRODUCTIONS: Do you have a good play that you would like to see Athenian Berean Community Players produce? Are you just waiting to return to the stage after your experiences in high school but you have put it off for 20 years? Would you like to direct or just smell the grease paint? Write and let us know!!!
OCTA:
We have been active members of the Ohio
Community Theatre Association (OCTA) since 1999. Our members have
served on OCTA boards and committees, and we have received OCTA awards for excellence in acting,
directing, costume and set design, and newsletter.
Athenian Berean Community Players
P.O. Box 283
Athens, Ohio 45701
