In 1975, Jerry Huntsberger, Community Schools Director, met with Ken
Frisch, Claudia Pankake, and Jeanne Parsons to discuss the possibility of
organizing a community theatre. The decision was "We can do it." and with a
fifth believer, Peggy Hadden, it was decided that the The Music Man would be the
first production. In June, Ken Frisch spoke to the Tipp City Rotary presenting
the idea of a community theatre. Harold N. Long volunteered to contact "angels"
to finance the first production and try outs were held. The Music Man was
presented to the public in August to an almost complete sellout crowd. The
spirit of the "76 Trombones" kept playing through the minds of the community,
and in January 1976, an organizational meeting was held. Kenneth C. Frisch was
elected as the president of the newly formed Tipp City Players
A
constitution was drafted and adopted with the following statement of purpose
"The primary purpose of the Tipp City Players, Inc., is the promotion of
cultural, theatrical, and musical arts in Tipp City and its environs." In
1976, the Tipp City Players celebrated their incorporation with the production
of Oklahoma and several Christmas programs. The Players joined OCTA in 1977 and
expanded to two major productions with the musical Carousel in the summer and
Egad, What a Cad! for the Mum Festival. A five-show season , which included the
first children's theatre, was undertaken in 1979.
Increased
experience and knowledge, continued community support, a rapidly growing
membership, and an underlying enthusiasm was the mainstay throughout the
mid-80's. However, as the group's numbers and supporters began to dwindle in
the early 1990's, it became apparent to some of the Players that new blood was
needed. The mid-1990's generated a core group of new Tipp City Players with the
musicals Oliver! and The Sound of Music. This core group is currently active in
supplying live theatre for the local community, as well as, providing a reader's
theatre program for the Community Night Candlewalk and a $500.00 scholarship for
a local graduate. As the Tipp City Players continue into the new millenium,
however, there remains the need for renewed community support in both the
entertainer and audience aspects.
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