Haddonfield Plays and Players is a community theater in Haddonfield that was founded over 70 years ago. We spoke with Tami Brody, Vice President of Haddonfield Plays and Players, about the theater’s rich history, its many programs for kids, and upcoming shows in their 2017 season.
Can you tell us more about the history of Haddonfield Plays and Players?
HPP was established 83 years ago by a socially active group of friends and neighbors, united by a common desire to form a dramatic society in Haddonfield. From its inception HPP has been interwoven with the fabric of the community. In the early days we functioned as a social club where lovers of theatre would gather for a night of entertainment, food, drink and occasionally a little dancing.
Today we operate as a vibrant center for theatre arts. We provide the best in theatre education, attracting young artists from throughout south jersey, and we serve as a hub for creative talent – lighting and sound, props and costumes, scenic artists, builders, actors, musicians, hair and makeup – the heartbeat of HPP is the energy within the artistic community. We foster an environment of collaboration and camaraderie and we channel this energy to create the magic of theatre for our guests.
Can you talk more about your programs – Stage Kidz, Stage Teenies and Shining Stars?
The Shining Stars Theater Program is a collaboration with Amazing Transformations of Stratford, NJ. It offers teens and adults with Autism, Aspergers, Downs Syndrome and other developmental disabilities an opportunity to show off their talents, expand their social skills, develop friendships and build self-esteem. Classes are taught by certified special education teachers with extensive experience in theater and performance. Now in its 5th year, we couldn’t be more proud of this program and these amazing artists.
Stage KIdz and Teenies:
Our program philosophy is more than just learning about theater. We are not building stars – we are building confident children. We strive to make sure they understand that the part they receive in a show is not the making of a great performer. We want them to appreciate all parts in a production. Each role is important, no matter how big or small. Another thing we strive to do at our renowned program is to not only teach the students about the various aspects of theater, but also encourage them to apply what they have learned in performance. What results is a confident and strong camper, who has had a ton of theatrical fun along the way.
If someone wants to become a member or volunteer, how would they go about doing that?
Haddonfield plays and players welcome volunteers on stage and off. Auditions are typically held for each production and open to everyone. All of our announcements for auditions can be found on our website: haddonfieldplayers.com, Facebook and Twitter. We also welcome interested individuals who would rather contribute behind the scenes – as an usher, stagehand, costumes, etc. are invited to reach out to us at volunteers@haddonfieldplayers.com
Tell us about your shows!
We perform 5 mainstage shows each year – 3 musicals & 2 plays, along with our annual performances of Number the Stars, in its 10th year -performed for schools from all over Southern NJ promoting Holocaust awareness. In addition, we have added many different Cabarets – performed throughout the season.
Check out their 2017 season here!