Our Story
The Evergreen Players began in 1950 as a group of friends gathering in each other’s homes to read plays aloud. Today it is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization producing more than ten shows per year for the foothills community. Offerings range from classics to regional premieres, comedies to musicals to dramas. Annually the group involves professionals and amateur volunteers of all ages and walks of life, on stage and behind the scenes. The Evergreen Players’ mission is to create professional quality theater to inspire, engage, and entertain.
Although the core of our audience (and volunteers, on and off-stage) resides in the Evergreen area, we regularly draw from as far away as Boulder and Aurora. Our audience attendance has been growing in recent years, as has our season subscriber base. We have also benefited from the generous donations of many theater supporters. The home of the Evergreen Players is Center Stage in Evergreen, shared with the Evergreen Chorale and the Evergreen Children’s Chorale.
A volunteer board of directors governs the organization. Paid staff consists of four part-time positions: House Manager, Production Manager, Marketing & Public Relations Manager, and a Volunteer Coordinator.
Since 1998, the Evergreen Players have entered the Colorado Community Theater Coalition’s annual festival. Festival entrants are adjudicated by national theater experts, and winners go on to perform at regional and national festivals. For years, the Evergreen Players have ranked among the top companies in Colorado, and have won a variety of awards at state, regional and national levels, including a national acting award.
Since July 2000, the Players has sponsored a Youth Drama Camp for children ages 5-15. Over the years, over a thousand local children have attended the camp, learning leadership and teamwork skills that will last a lifetime. The Camp’s mission is to provide aspiring theater artists the opportunity to develop their skills and talents under the guidance of professionals from within a professional theatre environment. Participants attend workshops and perform in (and in some cases help create) original plays.
In 2015, EP Studio One was founded as an after school acting class program for students offering one middle school acting class and one elementary school acting class. Today, with the acquisition of our own studio space, the program has grown to include adult acting and improv classes, elementary and middle school improv and acting classes as well as four youth performances each school year. This past year, Studio One programs served over 200 kids and adults in the mountain community!
