What a Soiree!

Last night DCP hosted a dessert reception for present and former board members. It was literally a Who's Who of the Davidson Community Players. What a great evening! Old friends caught up with each other as they sipped wine on our new theatre's lawn. Members from The Connie Company gave a wonderful performance with the help of Matt Merrill, Nancy Gardner, Kathryn Baron, and Lori K. Tate. It was just too much fun. 

Scott Galloway put together a delightful three-minute film explaining DCP's need for space. The audience loved it. 

The vice chair of our board, Lisa Combs, reported that we have raised $100,000 of our $250,000 goal. That's great news, but we're not there yet. 

It was just a great evening of friendship and fun. DCP is much more than a community theatre, it's a family. 

Stock the Theatre

As you can see, our new space is looking a little bare. No worries, you can help. If you have the following items or would like to donate them to our new theatre (that sounds so nice), please call our office at 704-892-7953. Thanks!

AUDIO

Intercom for dressing room 2

COSTUMES

Chairs 20

Long (12-18" wide) folding tables for dressing room 4

Wall mirrors 4

Costume racks 2

Iron 1

Steamer  1

Make-up lights

GENERAL

Ladders 12' 2

Clip lights 4

Power strips 2

Mop bucket 1

Dustpan 2

Shop vac 1

Rechargeable flashlights 4

Stools 6

Music stands and lights 6

Plastic storage bins

Upright vacuum for carpet

HOUSE & GREENROOM

Cafe chairs (wooden-various types) 24

Hand bell 1

KITCHEN (Yes, we have a kitchen!)

Saucepans

Frypan

Kitchen utensils

Bread knife

Paring knife

STAGE

Furniture dollies 2

Garden hose 1

Flat black paint 30

Piano

Home Sweet Home

This is a photograph of the inside of our new theatre space. Yep, it was a church, but in no time it's going to be a theatre we can all enjoy. Hopefully, we'll be able to present our last show of the 2008 season, Working, in the space. Fingers crossed!  

It's hard to believe this is the first home for Davidson Community Players (DCP) considering we've been around for more than 40 years. Most folks assumed we had some sort of space on the Davidson College campus or somewhere else in the area. Although DCP produces two shows a season at the lovely Duke Performance Hall at Davidson College (we'll continue to do that by the way), we've never had a permanent residence on the campus. 

In the past we've rehearsed in living rooms, warehouses, dance studios, churches, school gymnasiums, and just about anywhere else you can think of. A lot of people don't realize this, but we only rehearse in the Duke space one week prior to opening because that's all our budget will allow. Needless to say, our volunteers have a lot of imagination and flexibility.

You might ask why we need a space now since we've been making it work piecemeal for so long. There are many answers to that question. First of all, this is a growing area. Drive through the Northcross intersection in Huntersville, and you'll crack the code on that one. There are a ton of people in this area now, and rehearsal space, preferably free or affordable rehearsal space, is at a premium. With every show, we had more difficulty finding rehearsal space. In addition to that, we also want to expand our program for the growing number of people in our area. Having our own space will allow us to do just that. 

When we found this lovely church on the corner of Armour and Watson Streets in Davidson, we had a feeling this might just work. Kevin Roberge, husband of Melissa Ohlman-Roberge, found out about the church being for sale while perusing the classifieds. Most of you will remember Kevin as the energetic Music Man from a few years back. He's a wonderful actor and set builder. 

Anyway, one thing led to another and now we've secured the space and are ready to make all of our dreams come true. Though the church is in excellent shape, we need to do some renovations to turn it into a theatre. We're about to begin a capital campaign just for that purpose. You can read more about that later. 

As for our new space, it seats approximately 100 people and will allow us to conduct multiple functions during one evening. For instance, there might be a board meeting downstairs while rehearsals are going on upstairs. We might have auditions upstairs while rehearsal for another show is taking place downstairs. Even better, we'll be able to offer longer runs of shows because it's our space. The possibilities are endless. 

Regardless, we are more than excited to have our very own theatre space, and we can't wait to share it with you. Please keep checking our blog to get more updates as they become available. There really is no place like home. 

Character Background

Before we get started on telling you about our fabulous new building, you need to know a little bit about who we are and how we got here. Here goes.

More than 40 years ago Constance Welsh, a drama teacher, director, actress, and visionary, founded Davidson Community Players. Equipped with a theatre arts degree from Carnegie Melon, Welsh was passionate about theatre and wanted to share her passion with her community. With support from Rupert Barber, founder of Davidson College's Department of Theatre, she created an organization that would not only entertain and enlighten but also educate and enrich. 

For its first production the company presented "Time of Harvest." That was in July of 1965. For the next 15 years Davidson Community Players would go on to produce such classics as Our Town, The Crucible, You Can't Take it With You, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? As the company evolved it took on more challenges in terms of plays selected and organization. 

When Welsh moved to Charlotte in the early '80s, the company hired its first executive director, Pam Stephenson, and organized an executive board under chair, Max Polley, also a Davidson College professor. From 1982 through 1989, DCP produced 17 plays and applied for and received non-profit status. In addition, it expanded show runs to two weekends per production to accommodate a growing audience. 

Fireside readings were established, and in 1985 the first children's play in collaboration with Davidson College's Theatre Department was produced. As the company continued to evolve it began to pay for the services of set designers, stage directors, and technical coordinators as well as the executive director. 

Welsh returned to Davidson to direct occasionally, and in 1990, one year before her death, she directed The Rainmaker. Kim Beard served as executive director from 1989 through 1999. During that time, DCP produced its first musical along with 23 other plays including Love Letters, Dearly Departed, The Foreigner, and Neil Simon's hilarious farce titled Rumors, which sold out nearly every performance. 

During this time The Connie Company, Davidson Community Players' children's theatre company, was founded to honor the memory of Welsh. Directed by Barber, the Players continued to produce a children's show every year with students from Davidson College. Barber passed away in 2006, and the company dedicated the 2007 season to his memory. 

Karen Sorenson took the helm as executive director from 2000 to 2002. In 2002, the Players presented  The Sound of Music, its first production in the 600-seat Duke Family Performance Hall at Davidson College, to record crowds. Taking the success of that production into account, the Players hired its first full-time executive director, Cindy Rice, in 2002.

In the past five years the company has experienced tremendous growth under Rice's leadership, as it now produces a four-show season in addition to the Connie Company's January show with Davidson College. During Rice's tenure, the Players established an office on Main Street and hired Melissa Ohlman-Roberge as resident director/production manager of Davidson Community Players and artistic director of The Connie Company. 

A well-respected director, Ohlman-Roberge has worked professionally in theatre for more than 25 years and has an MFA from Florida State University. Under her artistic direction, the Davidson Community Players have won numerous accolades, including countless Metrolina Theatre Association awards. In 2006 The Spitfire Grill, a musical under Ohlman-Roberge's direction, won North Carolina's Best Production at AACTFest and went on to compete regionally in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The talent and vision of Rice and Ohlman-Roberge, along with a diligent board of directors and a committed group of volunteers have propelled and will continue to propel the Davidson Community Players to new heights. This isn't just an organization that produces plays and sells tickets. It is a family of people young and old who enjoy coming together to make their community a better place by sharing the treasured gift of theatre.