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A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches
it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image. Joan Didion Spring 2023 Dear Peterborough Players Family, It’s an honor to be writing to you as we celebrate the Peterborough Players’ 90th year. How extraordinary is what Edith Bond Stearns started in the Hadley Barn in 1933?! Though she hardly ever allowed a photo, I can vividly remember my “Aunt Edith’s” smile that could light up a room and she’s sure smiling down on us now! I have no memory of not being a Peterborough Player since my first summer here was when I’d just turned one. My mom, Rosanna Cox entered that magical barn as an apprentice in 1939 only 6 years after Johnny Stearns mucked out the place and built a stage. My first memories were the smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd in the barn. Mom was then the leading lady here during her more than 50 years of doing wonderful roles on this stage. As I grew up, I learned so much by watching her and her fellow thespians and feeling that extraordinary love affair, that energy exchange with the audience, that magic. It was so exciting and, chomping at the bit when director Jimmy Welch offered me a juicy child lead at age 8, I was off and running. Like it did for my mom and me, the Peterborough Players experience sparked the imagination and careers of so, so many and that special compact between audience and Players strengthened with the talent it attracted and collective good will year after year. And it still does. Mom loved to describe her early days of discovery and opportunity at the Players. I came of age at The Players and I felt that same magic. When I lunched with James Whitmore in Malibu, he described the same thing, as did William Hurt when I worked with him on Broadway…the same from Robert Morse when Mom and I talked with him backstage after his Tony winning performance in Tru...same from Tom Moore and Chuck Morey and so many others, even those whose entire experience in theater may have been only one summer as an apprentice in the barn. The extended Players family always remark about that magical feeling and their gratitude for it. That’s why so many of us return. We just have to get back to where we once belonged. I married my wife Sarah here and buried my dear mom here last summer. There’s something about this place, something one can’t really define, something uniquely nourishing to the soul, transformational, indelible. Players and audience members have felt that since the 30’s. When James Whitmore mentored me as a young actor, we talked about the rush of creative energy, fellowship, and pure fun we had both felt in different decades at the Players. He smiled and whispered with emotion, “The sap was running.” And the sap is still running. Actors can be guides, shamans. They take you to new places, remind us of truths. Fine theater can open our souls, enhance our beings. An experience in the theater can be life changing. The ritual of coming to a theater, sitting down and being transported by a storyteller is as old as mankind. The Players in Our very special Town is an especially good place for that. It has stood the test of time and evolved into possibly the finest summer theater in the nation and an invaluable cultural resource in winter as well. The consequences of the pandemic have been profound on our theater. Now more than ever as the Players works to rebuild audiences, the theater needs our help to meet the challenges of continuing to produce exceptional, professional theater. Please join me in making a gift today to ensure that this special place survives and thrives for many decades to come. On this special occasion of our 90th year, let's celebrate this amazing theater together with great pride. Here’s to our inimitable, visionary founder EBS and all the Peterborough Players over the past nine decades as we move forward in a new auspicious era with Tom Frey. How lucky we are! Peterborough Players is an extraordinary gift to us all. Much love, Richard Cox Peterborough Player since 1956 We are “As rich in having such a jewel As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold." Shakespeare
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July 2023
Dear Peterborough Players Family, It is not an overstatement to say that theatres in this country are in a perilous time. It seems like every week I hear of another closure. The 20+ year old Triad Stage in North Carolina, 46-year-old San Diego Repertory Theatre, 56-year-old Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and 33-year-old Book It Theatre in Seattle are among the 30+ regional theatres that have closed in the last 18 months. Why are so many theatres closing, and what can we do to prevent it from happening to our beloved Peterborough Players? Unsurprisingly, a lot stems from the pandemic. Most U.S. theatres are non-profits operating on extremely thin margins in the best of times. The forced closures sent many into financial crises, only partially propped up by federal relief funds. Those resources are gone, and audiences have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, expenses have been skyrocketing. Material costs continue to rise at alarming rates, and the very structure of how theatres operate is evolving. For decades, theatres have often produced at the expense of the people creating the shows, who have routinely been asked to work extremely long, grueling hours for very little or no pay. How can theatre as an institution survive if the very people who create it can’t pay their own bills? The Players have been driving progress in the field, adjusting our production schedules to create a more sustainable model that prioritizes the welfare of our artists, technicians, and staff. We are at the forefront of the industry, demonstrating that it is possible to produce beautiful, engaging, entertaining theatre without exploiting the people who create it. As we celebrate our 90th year, our existence can’t be taken for granted. Our wonderful Artistic Director Tom Frey and I have over 30 years of love and respect for the Peterborough Players and the Monadnock Region between us. We know the importance of our playhouse to the community and the theatre world at large. We are ready to meet the moment and lead the Players into the next 90 years. But those of us at the end of Hadley Road can’t do it without your help. Can you make a tax deductible donation now to help ensure we’re here to serve the Monadnock region for years to come? What would Our Town be without the Peterborough Players? We are integral members of the region and a source of art and community. But with ticket sales covering less than 30% of our expenses, we need your support. To help us continue to grow and evolve, expanding our offerings and season with special one-night events, more programming for children, including our new Players Junior classes, exciting new plays, engaging talkbacks, and so much more. Please don’t delay. We need your support now, before we are in crisis. We all have different means, but as you are deciding how much you will donate, please think about all the theatres that are closing across the country and what that means for those communities: the loss of local business, culture, and art. The shared experience of live theatre is powerful. Help us preserve it. As I am writing this letter, we are getting ready for opening night of our second show, and the energy in the air is absolutely electric. Theatre is the ultimate team sport - we only succeed when we all work together. That’s when the real magic happens! Please join us in our goal to remain on the leading edge of theatres in this country and being a vital part of the Monadnock Region for years to come. Thank you in advance for your consideration and generous contribution at whatever level is right for you. I hope to see you in the Barn on Hadley Road very soon. Best, Allison Deutsch Director of Production |
Appeal ArchiveHere you will find many of the past Appeal Letters from those dear to the Players' hearts! Archives
July 2024
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