Port Washington Play Troupe
Programming History
Play Troupe produced dramas, comedies and classics throughout its history. But in addition, and across the decades, energetic members also created specialized programs, flooding Port Washington with diverse activities for all ages.
Historically, these off-shoots operated with relative independence...and their own names. As part of the 2012 revival, the company's board unified nearly all activities under the Port Washington Play Troupe banner.
In 1947, a group within Play Troupe partnered with Main Street School to create the annual Children’s Show, dedicated to staging literary adaptations of children’s classic (and later, original scripts), with all-ages casts. The Children’s Show revived in 2013 with Alice in Wonderland—marking Play Troupe’s happy return to St. Stephen’s Church.
Alice in Wonderland, 2013
Teen Summer Theater [Now Independent]
In 1972, Pam and Ron Meadows founded the Teen Summer Theater for kids in grades 6-12. The group was taken over by parents in 1987 and renamed the Port Summer Show but still recognizes its Play Troupe roots today.
Annie, 1984
In 1984, Teen Summer Theater alumni Frank Dietz, Nick Scandalios and Robert Raduazzo founded a new Play Troupe program to present musicals with adult performers. More recently, such productions included GREASE and The 1940s Radio Hour.
Jesus Christ Superstar, 1989
In 1989, musicians and singers led by Robert B.G. Horowitz founded the Varsity Choral Society, which performs classical choral music at an annual Christmas Concert at the Congregational Church of Manhasset. The series marked its 30th anniversary in December 2019 in one of its final performances.
Christmas Concert, 2010
In 2013, Stephanie Hall and Anne DeAcetis (with support from local caterer Blanka’s Kitchen) partnered to produce a new discussion series at the Port Washington Public Library, Spotlight on Theater: Behind-the-Scenes Conversations with Coffee & Confections.
The Inaugural Spotlight, 2013
Giving Back
Also in 2013, Play Troupe began producing fundraising events to benefit other non-profits. The first was Songs for Cecilia, a series of informal cabaret performances to benefit St. Stephen's Church. Play Troupe's relationship with St. Stephen's dates all the way back to our founding in 1927!
Songs for Cecilia, 2013
In 2014, Play Troupe partnered proudly with WCWP 88.1 FM New York (the community public radio station of LIU Post) to inaugurate a radio drama series as part of a year-long Golden Era of Radio Celebration that included multiple radio dramas performed and recorded on stage in the Hillwood Recital Hall, a venue of the Tilles Center at LIU Post, as well as a production of The 1940s Radio Hour at the Landmark on Main Street.
The Maltese Falcon, 2014