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Tag: The Island Players Theater

Island Players catch audiences with ‘The Mousetrap’

Island Players catch audiences with ‘The Mousetrap’

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – The Island Players are smashing previous attendance records with their newest production, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.”

Director Heiko Knipfelberg assembled a talented cast for the production, the longest-running play in history. The crew knew attendance would be good, but selling out every seat for every performance was a surprise.

The Island Players staff found that requests for tickets could not be fulfilled shortly after the beginning of the second week of the run. According to the theater’s box office staff, the combination of a record number of season subscriptions and providing both online and in-person sales resulted in demand beyond availability.

To celebrate its 75th season, the Island Players also host receptions on different nights of each show as a small token of thanks to the many season ticket and single ticket holders who sustain and support the theater. The receptions also provide audience members a meet and greet with some of the many Island Players volunteers who staff these receptions.

The next play will be “Communicating Doors,” a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Preston Boyd and co-produced by Sato Real Estate. Run dates are March 7-24.

The curtain rises Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at www.theislandplayers.org. Box office sales will begin on Monday, Feb. 26. Box office hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday and opens for Sunday matinees at 1 p.m. for “will call” tickets only. The box office can be reached at 941-778-5755.

Island Players documentary premier a sellout

Island Players documentary premier a sellout

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – Operating for 75 years, the Island Players is the oldest community theater group in Manatee County, but the history of their home dates back another 75 years.

How the theater got to its current location on the corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue is one of the fascinating subjects featured in a new documentary film about the Players.

Tens of thousands of people have attended plays at the historic theater that is as much a part of Anna Maria Island as the sand and palm trees. But most who walk through the doors have no idea that if somebody had not decided to saw a mid-19th century home in half and float it down the Manatee River, the theater simply wouldn’t exist. The story had to be told and a local filmmaker decided to tell it with his documentary, “The Anna Maria Island Players,” which was accepted and featured at the 2023 Sarasota Film Festival.

“When I pitched this to the studio, I asked if anybody had heard of this little wooden theater that got cut in half and floated down the river,” Director Lucas Piety said. “They didn’t know what I was talking about, but that’s how it all started.”

Piety said without the resources of the Manatee County Clerk of Court and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society, this project would have been impossible.

“The Anna Maria Island Historical Society has a museum right down the street,” Piety said. “If you’re interested in learning more about the history of the Island, I strongly encourage you to go visit it and learn more about the Island. I learned that a lot of money that went into the early years of this Island came from the creator of Fig Newtons; I had no idea.”

Piety said that he feels that Florida history doesn’t get the same attention as other states to the north and he wants to change that. He said it’s important that the history of Florida is shared with the world and, although this film may be a small contribution in the grand scheme, it’s a start, and he hopes more of the same will follow.

There will be no spoilers here, but, fortunately, the film is now online and can be viewed for free online.

Curtain, please!

Island Players bring the laughs

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Theater.

ANNA MARIA – A New York apartment is the setting for a familiar, albeit slightly skewed view of some of Neil Simon’s most beloved characters to bring the laughs. In the late 1960s, Simon introduced audiences to Oscar and Felix, who would be featured in film, television and even a cartoon. As beloved as the Odd Couple was, in the mid-1980s he decided he had one more iteration of the story under his belt when he wrote “The Odd Couple, The Female Version.”

So Felix Unger, whose marriage has imploded, becomes Florence Unger, a neat-freak housewife and mother whose husband leaves her. Oscar Madison, the sports writer, becomes Olive Madison, a sloppy TV news producer who is constantly giving money to her broke ex-husband. While the original Oscar and Felix enjoyed poker nights, the ladies get together every Friday for a game of Trivial Pursuit, which in itself harkens back to the time the play was written, and the questions in the game date the play accurately as well. Although the play is the most modern version, it’s old enough to bring relevant laughs to anyone middle-aged and beyond.

The jokes begin shortly after the curtain opens and don’t stop until the final seconds of the play. Director Preston Boyd brilliantly cast this production with actors who seem to truly get the core of their characters. In a rare casting decision, Boyd actually decided on two leading ladies to play Olive Madison. The night The Sun attended the play, Leona Collesano played Olive, but she will be sharing nights with Players veteran, Laura Morales, who will be familiar to anyone who has attended plays at the theater in recent years.

“I chose to double cast the role of Olive,” Boyd said. “Every two or three performances we switch Olives. Normally when I look at auditions, I see somebody who is just right for the part, but rarely will I see two people who are right for the part. In these auditions, I saw Laura Morales and knew I had my Olive, but then I see Leona Collesano and in both of them I saw what I wanted for that part. I thought, why not double cast.”

Boyd assembled a solid supporting cast, as well. As the often-clueless Vera, Cathy Hansel-Edgerton lands solid punchline after solid punchline. Jean Walther as Sylvie is also quite funny. And Mike DeMaio as Manolo Constazuela and Anuj Naidu as his brother, Jesus, nearly steal Act II delivering laughs that last so long the cast had to pause a few times to allow the crowd cackling to dissipate.

“The Odd Couple, The Female Version,” co-produced by The Offstage Ladies, runs through Jan. 29. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with a matinee performance Sundays at 2 p.m. Contact the box office Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 941-778-5755 or visit the theater website to purchase tickets.