The Communications Manager will return to regular hours on July 27 and the Artistic Director will be back in the office starting Aug. 3. The Costume Librarian will continue to be at the theatre each Tuesday night for rentals from 6 to 8 p.m. Even though we won't be in for regular hours we will still be checking emails, regular mail and phone messages, and yes occasionally in the building, just not all the time.

The cast was recognized with the award for “Outstanding Ensemble” and actor Matt Rogge received an award for “Most Versatile Actor”.

Eleven shows from seven states participated in the four day festival. Each of the shows qualified for the regional festival by winning their state level festivals. Productions of “How to Talk Minnesotan: The Musical” from South Dakota and “Lemondae” from Kansas were selected to advance to the American Association of Community Theatre’s national festival in June.

“There were some terrific examples of what community theatre can achieve at this festival ,” Jamie Ulmer, Community Players artistic director, said “Our cast and crew did a great job and showed the kind of high quality fun we like to have onstage here in Beatrice.”

Members of the cast and crew who traveled with the show were Julie Bratt, Matt McNiff, Matt Rogge, Missy Marlatt, Pat Marlatt, Bill Bratt, Janet Apfelbeck, Heidi Krieger, Elizabeth Claassen, Cindy Shepherd and Alyssa Bratt.

This award is presented annually by the community theater to an individual or couple who have been outstanding in support of the theater and fine arts in Beatrice and the Southeast Nebraska area.

Frahm was presented with the award prior to a performance of the theatre’s recent production of “Children of Eden”.

With service ranging from the stage to the boardroom Frahm has had a positive impact on the theatre. He has appeared on stage in many productions, often stepping into shows to complete casting when needed. Frahm served seven years on the theatre’s board of directors including two terms as president of the organization. In addition he has headed the theater’s lighting committee and contributed countless volunteer hours to numerous theater projects.

Frahm’s name will be added to a plaque that is displayed in the theater’s lobby.

The award was established in 1985 in honor of former Beatrice resident Mary Ellen Morgan, who was one of the founders and promoters of Community Players.

Click here to see a list of past award winners

CP surveyed audience members at the theater’s recent production of “South Pacific” and found respondents came from 32 different communities.

Asked about additional purchases, 58 percent of respondents said they made an additional purchase in Beatrice in conjunction with attending the performance.

“People do travel to Beatrice to see quality performances, and arts audiences have an economic impact beyond just purchasing tickets to events,” Jamie Ulmer, CP artistic director, said.

The majority of the theater’s audience, 61 percent, comes from Beatrice. The next most represented city in the survey was Lincoln at seven percent.

The survey also found that audiences enjoy their experience at the theater. Respondents rated their overall experience attending the production as 9.02 on a scale of one to ten.

When asked how well they felt the theater was doing in fulfilling its mission to promote, encourage and increase the knowledge, appreciation and practice of live theater, a substantial 74 percent responded that the theater was doing an “outstanding job”.

“It is very encouraging to hear from our audience that they appreciate and enjoy the efforts all our volunteers put into bringing a show to the stage,” Ulmer said. “As we move forward with projects like our new auditorium seats we hope to build on the trust that Community Players produces top-quality shows, and encourage even more members of the community to get involved.”

But now it will be more user friendly with more graphics and a cleaner format. The new e-newsletter also lets you customize the type of information you want to receive from CP! We’ve created a special category for those wanting to get extra information about auditions, crew calls, and other volunteer opportunities. Plus you can customize your e-newsletter settings on line 24 hours a day, it puts you in complete control of the type of information we send you.

BEST OF ALL THIS SERVICE IS STILL 100% FREE!!

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