Penrith Players – Community Consultation
CENTENARY:
In 2022 the Players mark their centenary year with a return to a full year of post pandemic productions and a centenary dinner celebration. This is the perfect year to support local theatre by booking tickets to see a production or by becoming a volunteer yourself. You can read our history here. We are also seeking input from the local community on the development of the Playhouse as a community arts hub.
THE PLAYERS AND THE PLAYHOUSE:
Since 1922 they have been part of the local community providing local entertainment and opportunities to develop theatrical skills. The Players are a locally owned, volunteer run charitable organisation that is very much part of the community of Penrith and its surrounds. They have over 100 members who, as well as take part in productions, help in many other ways run our theatre.
With no grants or subsidies for our activities, the Players fund the operation of the Playhouse via tickets sales from performances, membership subscriptions, bar sales and some venue hire, all supported by unpaid volunteers.
The Penrith Playhouse is the third home for the Players. In 1998 the Players moved to their current home in Auction Mart Lane, when the previous old theatre building was declared unsafe for performances. The facilities consist of a foyer, a large bar area, a 160 seater theatre auditorium, a workshop, two changing rooms, a costume storage area, two properties storage rooms and a rehearsal room.
The raison d’etre of the Players is promoting music, drama and related activities for adults and young people in and around Penrith. In a typical year they run 5 to 7 full productions over four nights and have upwards from 1,500 local residents who pay to come to the main productions. They also have an active Youth Group that provides opportunities for young people from the age of 12 to develop their acting and other skills.
The Playhouse also hosts a range of other cultural events including “Plug ‘n Play” (for a variety of live music every month), touring bands and performers and music evenings.
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION:
Looking forward to the next 5 to 20 years, Penrith Players have a new vision to become an arts hub for the town; to help encourage and support the performing arts and other cultural activity in Penrith.
The ambition is to see more people engaged in arts and culture in Penrith whether as participants or audiences – to raise the profile of and access to performing arts in Penrith.
To help with the development of this vision, the Players are reaching out, asking for input and ideas in a community consultation. The committee wants to hear what the local community feels is needed and how they would like to see the existing theatre developed.
You can get involved with the consultation by emailing your thoughts to penrithplayers@gmail.com.
