Hi Everybody:

Let me give you a little background on what you are looking at. I was member of the board of directors of The Villagers Theatre from 1991 until March of 1998. I was the President of The Villagers from July 1996 until the time I left the Board. Although I continued to act at The Villagers and attend shows there, I had almost no involvement with the operation of theater.

In the Fall of 2000, I was cast in “City of Angels” at the Villagers. At the opening night reception (October 27, 2000) I was informed that a long-time Villager, Ronnie Schapow has recently passed away. This sparked some conversations about the history of the company, and I was asked about some of the plaques that hung in building. I was one of only two people in the building who knew who Edmond LeComte, David White and Vivian Lazzara were. It kind of disturbed me that even though I had only been part of the Villagers for a little over ten years of their 40+ years, I was now one of the few people who was familiar with the history of the place. I had the feeling that the organization had lost their history.

I decided that the History of the Villagers was too important to let it just slip away. I decided to document as much of it as I could. I looked over the files, scrapbooks, and old programs from a number of personal collections and the collection that is still at the theater. What you are looking at is the result. The point of this project is collect and record as much as possible. There is a still a lot of stuff missing and I hope you can contribute. If you have a story to add to the history, a correction, or an addition, please contact me.

UPDATE: March 2005

We have now started adding a page for EACH SHOW that has ever been staged at The Villagers. The best “Show Pages” come from the casts and crews of the shows. You can check out an example of different show pages by visiting the page for our 2004 production of Noises Off. You can see another example of a show page by taking a look at The Pirates of Penzance page. If you would like to create a page for a show, please feel free to do so. Zip the whole thing up and email it to me. If the file is too big to email, drop me an email and we can work out another method for you to get the page to me. There is no restriction on the format or content of a show page (within the limits of good taste of course!) The only way we can get every show done in a reasonable amount of time is for you to participate.

UPDATE: July 2005

Lots of people have been asking for a copy of the “45 Seasons of Theatre” Poster that hangs in the Villagers lobby. Just click here for a .PDF copy of the poster. You need Acrobat Reader to view the file. If you need Adobe Reader, click here.

Thanks for your help!

Jeff Dworkin

jeffdworkin@villagerstheatre.com

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