Athenian Players Theatre
. . . a community theatre serving southeastern Ohio since 1992.
SEASON: We are proud to offer joint productions with the Berean Community Players in the historic Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, OH. Click here to see all of the shows we have produced through the years (with pictures).
Shows for the 2008-2009 Season:
For tickets, to our shows, please contact Stuart's Opera House.
AUDITIONS: Tips
Auditions for Messiah on the Frigidaire will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at Stuart's Opera House. Copies of the script are on reserve at the Nelsonville and Athens public libraries; ask for them at the desk. Role list.
ABOUT US: History of Athenian Players Theatre
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.
Our 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—Athenian Players Theatre has jointly produced shows with the Berean Community Players (BCP) in the historic Stuart’s Opera House.
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.
APT is an active member of 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. APT has earned awards for acting, direction, sets, costumes, and for our monthly 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 APT 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:
MEETINGS:No summer meeting is scheduled.
Our meetings are open to all; everyone welcome. No obligation. Come and learn about your community theater. Return
MEMBERSHIP: To become a member of APT, 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 APT board members and helping to choose the plays that APT will produce.
For both categories of membership, the $10 fee covers the cost of printing and postage for the season's mailings.
OFFICERS: The 2007-2008 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 Players Theatre 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!!! Return
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 Athenian
Players Theatre has received numerous OCTA awards for excellence in acting,
directing, costume and set design, and newsletter.
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Athenian Players Theatre
P.O. Box 283
Athens, Ohio 45701
