A Dramatic Dedication to Community

Combine professional actors and youth from the Greater New Haven area, add a little music and choreography, and you have the next production from The Whitney Players Theater Company!

Since 2001, The Whitney Players has produced full-length musicals featuring youth from Hamden and the surrounding towns, teaching them the basics about acting and helping them appreciate theatre. The result is an affordable evening of entertainment for the community.

A nonprofit organization co-sponsored by the Hamden Arts Commission, The Whitney Players is also a participating nonprofit on giveGreater.org®, The Community Foundation's resource for learning and giving in Greater New Haven.

"Participating in The Great Give® has helped us keep up the high quality of our productions. Costumes, scenery, and professional sound are expensive, but they're what distinguish The Whitney Players as a high-level community group," says Director Cindy Simell-Devoe.

The organization has also been supported through a grant from the Mailhouse Family Fund at The Community Foundation, providing scholarships for students to participate in the annual Whitney Players production.

"Our theater company has always been about so much more than just doing theatre," Simell-Devoe says. "We're a family. Our older actors provide role models for our younger performers. Even our seasoned teens are the mentors for young children. We always welcome new members into our family, and hope the audience feels as much a part of the production as the cast."

Acting workshops are offered twice a year for teens and youth, as well. Recently, The Whitney Players began offering up its extensive costume inventory for rent to other theater companies.

Did You Know?

High school students involved in drama scored higher in both the verbal and math components of the SAT, compared to students with no involvement in the arts.
Source: American Alliance for Theatre & Education