ANNA MARIA – After more than a year since a live performance, the Island Players has announced the lineup for its 73rd season, and is once again reaching out to residents of Freedom Village in Bradenton to attend this season’s plays.
Founded in 1949, the Island Players, based in the Island Players Theater on the corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue, is the Island’s oldest community theater, located in one of the Island’s oldest buildings dating back to 1912. During the COVID-19 downtime, the Island Players used the absence of staff and performers to upgrade the Island Playhouse facility.
“We put in new wiring, a new sound system, air conditioning, lighting, paint, replaced siding, cleaned and even remodeled the bathrooms,” Public Relations Chair Diane Phinney said.
An annual mission for the Island Players is to reach out to Freedom Village in Bradenton, where they offer to sell residents season tickets, as well as arrange transportation to and from performances for residents of the senior living facility.
“We’ve done this every year for a long time. I just got involved with it about seven years ago. We go to Freedom Village every summer and sign them up for season tickets for our theater. Freedom Village provides a bus service for them to get them from Freedom Village to the Island Players. I think we signed up about 50 residents today,” said Connie Camboni, a volunteer who has been with the Island Players for seven years.
Freedom Village residents will attend the first Wednesday performance of every play in the 2021-22 season. The 73rd season will kick off in September with a production of “The Savannah Sipping Society” and will also feature four additional productions, which include “Same Time Next Year,” Nov. 4-14; “Blithe Spirit,” Jan. 6-13, 2022; “A Comedy of Tenors,” March 3-20, 2022 and “The Psychic,” May 5-15, 2022. In addition, the Children’s Drama Camp will give two performances on July 23. For information on signing up for the camp, which runs from July 12-15, contact Kathryn Palmer at 941-778-1908, ext. 207.
