The History of Cumberland Players
Cumberland Players, formerly the Little Theatre of Vineland, originated in February 1946 as an offshoot of the Vineland Community Arts Group. Of the six sub-divisions, only the theatre group flourished. In June 1946, the group presented a program of three one-act plays to an invited audience as the Reber School. Their efforts were so well received that the thespians immediately set about establishing a full-fledged community theater in South Vineland.
In October 1946, The Little Theatre of Vineland was chartered with a dedicated membership of fourteen people. The first major production, a domestic comedy entitled Ring Around Elizabeth, was presented at the Vineland Methodist Church, and began the painstaking process of converting the small church into a much larger building every weekend for two years. Finally, in November 1953, the theatre was formally opened with one of The Little Theatre’s most acclaimed productions, Come Back Little Sheba.
Over the next three decades, The Little Theatre continued to produced comedies and dramas at the Sherman Avenue site – usually three major productions per season. The group also sponsored children’s plays and teenage workshops. In 1977, the group’s name was officially changed Cumberland Players in an attempt to draw members from beyond the Vineland area. In 1982, a new tradition was born when Cumberland Players presented its first annual summer musical, The Music Man. Subsequent, musical hits such as Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, The King and I, and Camelot won popular and critical acclaim and brought the theatre a wider audience in the 1980s and 1990s.
True to our roots, we remain a group made up entirely of volunteers who are amateurs in the true sense of the word. We produce shows only for the love of theatre and the desire to share our talents with the community. And we continue to offer opportunities for grassroots participation among young and old theatre lovers; dedication, proven over half a century, to enriching the cultural life in our area; and the spirit of volunteerism and the love for theatre and community service.
Cumberland Players Main Stage and Kids at CP Production History:
Get a sneak peek at the new version of this; Past Show Database (Still under active development)
Production | Date | Director |
1. Ring Around Elizabeth | 3/47 | Mary Meyers |
2. Blithe Spirit | 5/47 | Mary Meyers |
3. George Washington Slept Here | 12/47 | Mary Meyers |
4. Night Must Fall | 3/48 | Curtis Meottel |
5. Petticoat Fever | 11/48 | Curtis Meottel |
6. Another Language | 3/49 | Curtis Meottel |
7. The Man Who Came to Dinner | 5/49 | Florence Horowitz |
8. My Sister Eileen | 12/49 | John Crowley |
9. Arsenic and Old Lace | 11/50 | John Crowley |
10. Light Up the Sky | 4/51 | John Crowley |
11. Claudia | 11/51 | John Crowley |
12. State of the Union | 4/52 | John Crowley |
13. Detective Story | 11/52 | John Crowley |
14. The Women | 4/53 | John Crowley |
15. Come Back Little Sheba | 11/53 | John Crowley |
16. The Heiress | 2/54 | John Crowley |
17. Harvey | 4/54 | John Crowley |
18. Guest in the House | 11/54 | Larry Carra |
19. Mr. Roberts | 2/55 | John Crowley |
20. Our Town | 5/55 | John Crowley |
21. You Can’t Take it with You | 11/55 | Larry Carra |
22. The Caine Mutiny Court Martial | 2/56 | John Crowley |
23. Ladies in Retirement | 5/56 | Bayard Leary |
24. Annie Get Your Gun* | 12/56 | Fred & Dora Merritt |
25. Death of a Salesman | 2/57 | Bob Wickersham |
26. Born Yesterday | 5/57 | John Crowley |
27. Witness for the Prosecution | 11/57 | Walt Pillsbury |
28. Picnic | 1/58 | Walt Pillsbury |
29. Stalag 17 | 5/58 | Bayard Leary |
30. A View from the Bridge | 11/58 | Bayard Leary |
31. Anniversary Waltz | 2/59 | Bayard Leary |
32. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* | 5/59 | Bob Wickersham |
33. The Hasty Heart | 11/59 | Bayard Leary |
34. The Curious Savage | 2/60 | Bayard Leary |
35. The Crucible | 5/60 | Bayard Leary |
36. See How They Run | 11/60 | Bill Hughes |
37. Tea and Sympathy | 2/61 | Patrick Cafferty |
38. Outward Bound | 5/61 | Dick Gillespie |
39. Horoscope | 11/61 | Lee Grimes |
40. The Tender Trap | 2/62 | Bill Hughes |
41. Twelve Angry Men | 5/62 | Bayard Leary |
42. A Very Special Baby | 11/62 | Lee Grimes |
43. The Man Who Came to Dinner | 2/63 | Clay Franklin |
44. The Gazebo | 5/63 | Clay Franklin |
45. Under the Yum Yum Tree | 11/63 | Sidney A. Chivian |
46. A Far Country | 2/64 | Lee Grimes |
47. My Three Angels | 5/64 | Joan Keller |
48. Everybody Loves Opal | 11/64 | Lee Grimes |
49. A Streetcar Named Desire | 2/65 | Len Bernstein |
50. Sunday in New York | 5/65 | Guy LeValley |
51. The Glass Menagerie | 11/65 | Len Bernstein |
52. Rashomon | 2/66 | Ed Jones |
53. Lo and Behold | 5/66 | Aggie G. Nott |
54. The Spiral Staircase,The Purple Doorknob | 11/66 | Lee Grimes |
55. Oh Mama, No Papa | 3/67 | Marty Vale |
56. Guys and Dolls* | 5/67 | Joan Betty & Miriam Childs |
57. A Clearing in the Woods | 11/67 | Ed Jones |
58. Come Blow Your Horn | 2/68 | Ed Jones |
59. Little Mary Sunshine* | 5/68 | Lee Grimes |
60. The Odd Couple | 11/68 | Lee Grimes |
61. The Country Girl | 2/69 | Lee Grimes |
62. Never Too Late | 5/69 | Ed Jones |
63. Wake Up Darling | 11/69 | Jerry Rae King |
64. The Bad Seed | 2/70 | Lee Grimes |
65. Goodbye Charlie | 5/70 | Ed Jones |
66. Cactus Flower | 11/70 | Lee Grimes |
67. A Lion in Winter | 1/71 | Ed Jones |
68. Spoon River Anthology | 3/71 | Frank Alimia |
69. Mame* | 6/71 | Lee Grimes |
70. Harvey | 11/71 | Frank Alimia |
71. The Rainmaker | 1/72 | John Tyros |
72. You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running | 3/72 | Blair Bowen |
73. State of the Union | 6/72 | Walt Johnson |
74. Barefoot in the Park | 11/72 | Joe Robinette |
75. A Hatful of Rain | 3/73 | John Bailey |
76. Don’t Drink the Water | 5/73 | Walt Johnson |
77. Wait Until Dark | 11/73 | Wayne See |
78. Plaza Suite | 3/74 | Walt Johnson |
79. Butterflies Are Free | 5/74 | Wayne See |
80. Last of the Red Hot Lovers | 11/74 | Walt Johnson |
81. The Mousetrap | 3/75 | Larry Wood |
82. And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little | 5/75 | Steve Litwack |
83. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | 11/75 | Richard Merrill |
84. Death of a Salesman | 2/76 | Howard Zogott |
85. Prisoner of 2nd Avenue | 5/76 | Paul Mathis |
86. Play It Again, Sam | 11/76 | Walt Johnson |
87. Nightwatch | 2/77 | Steve Litwack |
88. The Apple Tree* | 5/77 | Howard Zogott |
89. Bell, Book, and Candle | 11/77 | Bee George |
90. 6 Rms Riv Vu | 2/78 | Marty Lafferty |
91. Little Murders | 5/78 | Walt Johnson |
92. The Gingerbread Lady | 11/78 | Bee George |
93. Twelve Angry Men | 3/79 | Steve Litwack |
94. The Indoor Sport | 6/79 | Sue Griffith |
95. The Chalk Garden | 11/79 | Helen Pittard |
96. The Nearlyweds | 4/80 | Bee George |
97. Gramercy Ghost | 6/80 | Sue Griffith |
98. Dracula | 10/80 | Larry Wood |
99. Same Time, Next Year | 3/81 | Bee George |
100. Scapino | 6/81 | Sue Griffith |
101. California Suite | 10/81 | Bee George & Carole Litt |
102. A Christmas Carol | 12/81 | Shirley Burke |
103. You Can’t Take it with You | 6/82 | Sue Griffith |
104. The Music Man* | 8/82 | Walter A. Webster |
105. Towards Zero | 10/82 | Bee George |
106. Come Blow Your Horn | 5/83 | Mark Melamed |
107. The Sound of Music* | 8/83 | Walter A. Webster |
108. Blithe Spirit | 10/83 | Ray Burke |
109. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown* | 12/83 | Walter A. Webster |
110. On Golden Pond | 5/84 | Kathe Johnson |
111. Fiddler on the Roof* | 7/84 | Walter A. Webster |
112. A Murder is Announced | 10/84 | Bee George |
113. A Christmas Carol | 12/84 | Shirley Burke |
114. Play It Again, Sam | 3/85 | Kathe Johnson |
115. Oklahoma! * | 6/85 | Walter A. Webster |
116. Bus Stop | 9/85 | Bee George |
117. Annie* | 12/85 | Walter A. Webster |
118. Barefoot in the Park | 4/86 | Kathe Johnson |
119. My Fair Lady* | 7/86 | Walter A. Webster |
120. Ordinary People | 9/86 | Bee George |
121. Godspell* | 12/86 | Walter A. Webster |
122. The Mousetrap | 3/87 | Daryl L. Halter |
123. Guys and Dolls* | 7/87 | Kathe Johnson |
124. The Diary of Anne Frank | 10/87 | Bee George |
125. The Odd Couple | 3/88 | Carol Ann Polaha |
126. Man of La Mancha* | 7/88 | Walter A. Webster |
127. Close Ties | 10/88 | Kathe Johnson |
128. California Suite | 3/89 | Daryl L. Halter |
129. The King and I * | 7/89 | Walter A. Webster |
130. The Foreigner | 10/89 | Les Guglielmi |
131. Social Security | 3/90 | Harry H. Chandless |
132. Camelot* | 7/90 | Walter A. Webster |
133. Picnic | 10/90 | Richard Curcio |
134. Crimes of the Heart | 3/91 | Bee George |
135. Kiss Me, Kate* | 8/91 | Walter A. Webster |
136. Arsenic and Old Lace | 11/91 | Les Guglielmi |
137. Steel Magnolias | 3/92 | Kathe Johnson |
138. Brigadoon* | 7/92 | Walter A. Webster |
139. All My Sons | 10/92 | Shirley Burke |
140. Deathtrap | 3/93 | Les Guglielmi |
141. Gypsy* | 7/93 | Walter A. Webster |
142. Brighton Beach Memoirs | 10/93 | Harry H. Chandless |
143. Prisoner of 2nd Avenue | 3/94 | Kathe Johnson |
144. Oliver! * | 7/94 | Walter A. Webster |
145. Lend Me a Tenor | 10/94 | Richard Curcio |
146. The Nerd | 3/95 | Lois-Anne Weiner |
147. Hello, Dolly! * | 7/95 | Walter A. Webster |
148. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | 10/95 | Kathe Johnson |
149. The Good Doctor | 2/96 | Les Guglielmi |
150. Into the Woods* | 8/96 | Walter A. Webster |
151. Crossing Delancey | 9/96 | Pat Simione-Frie |
152. The Curious Savage | 11/96 | Mary Wijsmuller |
153. Play On | 3/97 | Kathe Johnson |
154. Annie Get Your Gun* | 7/97 | Walter A. Webster |
155. Angel Street | 10/97 | Brett Fauver |
156. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat* | 12/97 | Walter A. Webster |
157. You Can’t Take it with You | 3/98 | Les Guglielmi |
158. Me and My Girl* | 7/98 | Lisa Chappius |
159. The Chalk Garden | 10/98 | Brett Fauver |
160. Don’t Dress for Dinner | 3/99 | Brett Fauver |
161. Damn Yankees* | 8/99 | Richard Curcio |
162. The Rainmaker | 10/99 | Mary Wijsmuller |
163. Twelfth Night | 1/00 | Brett Fauver |
164. Moon Over Buffalo | 3/00 | Kathe Johnson |
165. Pippin* | 7/00 | Russell Chappius |
166. The Miracle Worker | 10/00 | Lisa Chappius |
167. The Taming of the Shrew | 1/01 | Pab Sungenis |
168. I Hate Hamlet | 3/01 | Les Guglielmi |
169. The Sound of Music* | 7/01 | Dennis Lupchinsky |
170. Dial M for Murder | 9/01 | Mary Wijsmuller |
171. Annie Jr. | 12/01 | Lisa Chappius |
172. A View from the Bridge | 3/02 | Lisa Chappius |
173. Carousel* | 7/02 | Richard Curcio |
174. The Murder Room | 10/02 | Pab Sungenis |
175. Guys & Dolls, Jr. | 12/02 | Lisa Chappius |
176. It's Murder in the Wings | 4/03 | Les Guglielmi |
177. Crazy for You* | 7/03 | Collin Maier |
178. Dracula | 10/03 | Brian Garrison |
179. Bah Humbug | 12/03 | Lisa Chappius |
180. Cinderella Waltz | 2/04 | Todd Kinder |
181. Cabaret* | 7/04 | Todd Kinder |
182. Much Ado About Nothing | 10/04 | Thomas Suthard |
183. Little Women | 11/04 | Russell Chappius |
184. Into the Woods, Jr. | 12/04 | Lisa Chappius |
185. One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest | 03/05 | Lisa Chappius |
186. The Who's Tommy* | 07/05 | Russell Chappius |
187. No Sex Please, We're British | 12/05 | Todd Kinder |
188. Les Miserables Student Edition | 9/05 | Lisa Chappius |
189. Noises Off | 03/06 | Michael Blandino |
190. Once Upon A Mattress* | 07/06 | Todd Kinder |
191. G2K Oklahoma | 9/06 | Lisa Chappius |
192. The Diviners | 10/06 | Lisa Chappius |
193. Godspell | 12/06 | Michael Blandino |
194. Kids at CP Retrospective | 12/06 | Lisa Chappius |
195. Beyond Therapy | 03/07 | Russell Chappius |
196. Beauty and the Beast* | 7/07 | Betsy Harrison |
197. Peter Pan | 9/07 | Lisa Piccioni-Chappius |
198. A Christmas Story | 12/07 | Todd Kinder |
199. Proof | 1/08 | Russell Chappius |
200. Agnes of God | 4/08 | Lisa Piccioni-Chappius |
201. Into the Woods* | 7/08 | Todd Kinder |
202. Willy Wonka, Jr. | 9/08 | Lisa Piccioni |
203. The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild | 10/08 | Kathe Johnson |
204. Barefoot in the Park | 3/09 | Carol Heney |
205. Nunsense* | 7/09 | Kristen Lazos |
206. Disney's Aladdin, Jr. | 9/09 | Lisa Piccioni |
207. The Mousetrap | 10/09 | John Weiner |
208. Steel Magnolias | 3/10 | Kathe Johnson |
209. Annie | 7/10 | Richard Curcio |
210. Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Jr. | 9/10 | Lisa Piccioni |
211. The Lion In Winter | 11/10 | Pab Sungenis |
212. Bearding the Lyons | 1/11 | Andrew Paulsen |
213. Alone Together | 4/11 | Michael Blandino |
214. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | 7/11 | Philip Hopf |
215. Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. | 9/11 | Lisa Piccioni |
216. Death of a Salesman | 11/11 | Hank Chandless |
217. The Diary of Anne Frank | 3/12 | Michael Blandino |
218. Little Shop of Horrors | 7/12 | John Weiner |
219. Disney's The Little Mermaid, Jr. | 9/012 | Lisa Piccioni |
220. The Importance of Being Earnest | 11/12 | Pab Sungenis |
221. It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play | 12/12 | Pab Sungenis |
222. Romeo and Juliet | 3/13 | Caitlin Du Bois |
223. Les Miserables | 9/13 | Michael Blandino |
224. Scapin | 10/13 | Pab Sungenis |
225. Fabulous Fable Factory | 12/13 | D. Michael and Laura Farley |
226. Rumors | 3/14 | Michael Blandino |
227. Spamalot | 7/14 | Michael Blandino |