The Newtowne Players

The Newtowne Players Mission

To promote all aspects of the performing arts in Southern Maryland. We provide quality entertainment to the surrounding communities as we foster, promote and increase the public knowledge and appreciation of the arts and cultural activities in Southern Maryland, and make live theatre affordable and available to as many members of the surrounding communities as possible.

Corona Virus (COVID-19) Impact

Winter Productions at NTP are cancelled

The Newtowne Players Board of Directors and Committee Council have been hard at work evaluating each production in our 17th season to determine when we will be able to open our doors again.

While the government has said that theatres may re-open at partial capacity, the requirements of the next couple productions caused us to make the difficult decision to cancel both Elf, The Musical (December) and The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged (February).

We are continuing to evaluate each show's requirements to include size of the cast, physicality of the actors, live musicians, and interaction with the audience. For those reasons it was determined that these two most recent cancellations were necessary.

Thank you so much for your patience while we work through the logistics of re-opening live theatre here in Southern Maryland. We have heard from so many of you expressing your desire to get back into the theatre and we are excited to do so very soon.

Our production committee has released the short list for Season 18 and you will see many titles that may look familiar. We are reconsidering all shows that were cancelled this season and last. If you were a director who had a show cancelled and would like to resubmit your application for Season 18 please go to our Call for Directors and download the form.

This message was updated as of November 9, 2020, 10:30 a.m.

MESSAGE UPDATE 25 June

THE SEASON 17 OPENING SHOW IS CANCELLED

First of all, we want to thank the nearly 400 patrons, members and volunteers who took the time to share their thoughts with us in our recent re-opening survey. Your inputs and comments are invaluable as we make plans for when and how to reopen our doors.

While we are eager to get back to the business of entertainment, we have to take into account the current guidelines and how they impact our ability to audition, rehearse and perform. Our fall show would normally be auditioning in June and rehearsing/constructing through July and August in preparation for a September performance. Unfortunately, we do not feel, at this time and with the current social distancing and group limits, that we can safely audition and begin the rehearsal period.

After a lot of discussion with the director and production team of Puffs, we have determined that we will not be able to produce our fall show this year and as a result the September performance of Puffs is cancelled.

We are continuing to take it one show at a time, and remain in constant contact with the production teams of upcoming shows to determine whether auditions and rehearsals can begin remotely, how much rehearsal time they require in the building, and the level of physical contact for the actors on stage.

We also need to consider our audiences. As of our recent survey we still have many members, volunteers, and patrons uncomfortable with indoor gatherings. We know that a lot will change in the coming weeks and we will be running another survey in the future to gather more feedback as the social climate changes.

Many of our patrons have asked what will happen to the shows that have been cancelled. The ability to produce shows on our stage is largely directed by our ability to gain the rights to perform. We are looking into the possibility of bringing lost shows back to our stage, but we will not be able to announce any recovered performances until rights have been secured.

We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our Southern Maryland community and for the recommendations, feedback and suggestions we have received. We cannot wait to get back on the stage and entertain our audiences again.

This message was last updated 25 June, at 9:06 a.m.

Message update 6 may

Remainder of the 16th season is cancelled

After careful consideration by our production committee, artistic directors and board of directors The Newtowne Players is cancelling the remainder of the shows in it's 16th Season.
This cancellation affects A Night On Broadway 2020 (previously postponed), Mamma Mia!, and our Shakespeare in the City Production of Hamlet.
This heartbreaking decision was not made lightly and many avenues were discussed, tested and considered carefully before determining that with the current situation and executive orders in place it is not feasible to mount the productions we have remaining in our season as they were originally intended to be performed.
We appreciate the outpouring of support from our community in the form of donations, well wishes and concern. We want to reiterate that we are not going anywhere and we will be back as soon as restrictions are lifted and it is safe to meet again.

This message was last updated 6 May, at 11:51 a.m.

MESSAGE UPDATE 22 April

The Newtowne Players musical production, A Night on Broadway will be postponed

A Night on Broadway, which was scheduled to open May 8, 2020, is currently postponed.
With new information and guidance coming out weekly we hope to have more answers for our patrons soon with regard to the opening of this wonderful production. Please bear with us as we make some important decisions in the coming weeks. We are hopeful that we will be able to resume our scheduled season, and hopeful the ghost light will soon be replaced with the spotlight.
Our production committee, artistic directors and board of directors are in constant communication with the production team of this show to determine when it will be safe to open our doors again and welcome our audiences back to the theatre.
In the meantime, we are actively planning ways to continue to connect with our community and fulfill our mission.

This message was last updated 22 April, at 8:09 a.m.

MESSAGE UPDATE 22 MARCH

The spring production Almost, Maine will not be performed

After the Governor’s announcement on March 16, The Newtowne Players cancelled its spring production Almost, Maine by John Cariani. Due to the tight schedule of shows between now and the end of our season, the show will not be rescheduled.

At this time all patrons who held tickets to Almost, Maine have been contacted. If you are a ticket holder and have not made arrangements to donate your ticket back, exchange your ticket, or receive a refund, please check the email you used when making the reservation for instructions on how to proceed.

This message was last updated 22 March, at 10:13 a.m.

MESSAGE UPDATE 17 MARCH

The spring production Almost, Maine will not be performed

After the Governor’s announcement on March 16, The Newtowne Players will cancel its spring production Almost, Maine by John Cariani. Due to the tight schedule of shows between now and the end of our season, the show will not be rescheduled.
We are heartbroken that we cannot share the work of our actors, production team and volunteers with the public but must first be good stewards of the resources we have, namely our people.
At this time we do not know how this closure will affect our upcoming production of A Night On Broadway, but will share additional information with our members and patrons as it becomes available.
We are relaxing our exchange and refund policy until further notice. All patrons who have already purchased tickets to Almost, Maine will be contacted by a member of our front of house staff and will be allowed to transfer their tickets to one of the remaining shows in the season or receive a full refund of the ticket price. Please be patient as we have a lot of calls to make. We anticipate that this process will be complete by Sunday, March 22.
Our board of directors are monitoring the situation closely and updates will be posted here on our website as often as necessary.

This message was last updated 17 March, at 9:05 a.m.

Message update 13 march

The opening of Almost, Maine by John Cariani is postponed until March 27.

If you have tickets to opening weekend you will be contacted by a member of our box office staff no later than Wednesday, March 18. We will make every effort to accommodate you in your selected seats for a future performance of Almost, Maine; a future show at The Newtowne Players; or a refund may be issued. For more information about our relaxed exchange policy please see our tickets page.

We understand that the situation is changing daily regarding COVID-19 and as additional information becomes available our plans may also change. We ask our patrons, volunteers and members of the community to please be patient as we continue to respond to maintain a safe entertainment environment for all.

We are taking steps to sanitize our facility prior to opening night and after each performance to include all high-touch surfaces (counters, doorknobs, bathrooms). Additionally, all seats in our auditorium will be disinfected after every performance.
Alcohol based sanitizer will be available throughout the building during the run of shows.

We're Leaving
the Light On