As 2022 comes to a close, Bay Street Players reflects on a year filled with dynamic productions, events, laughter, tears, friends, and family at the historic State Theatre in its 100th year as a venue for live performance in Central Florida.
The year began strong with Harper Lee’s classic story of a young girl finding her way in the Depression-era south. To Kill a Mockingbird took home Dolly Awards for Production of the Year, Lead Actor, and Lead Actress Brooklyn Yates, who stunned audiences with her portrayal of Scout Finch at just eight years old.
A new educational initiative brought hundreds of young audience members to the State Theatre for special field trip performances of To Kill a Mockingbird. Students had the opportunity to dive deeper into the show’s context at talk back sessions with the cast and director.
After a hiatus, we were excited to bring back our favorite event of the year: PLAY YOUR PART, the theatre’s annual gala with a special one-night-only dinner and performance in Ferran Park. The event raised thousands of dollars in support of Bay Street Players’ mission and will return this spring, bigger and better than ever, on March 11, 2023—tickets on sale now!
Summer was a blast at the State Theatre with The Rocky Horror Show, which played to sold out audiences for four weeks–including two crazy midnight shows—and featured a special cameo from our friend and supporter, Barry Bostwick, the original Brad Majors. And the fun didn’t stop there! Our 48th Season opened with a hilarious production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical.
Ever varied, our season continued with The Diary of Anne Frank, starring a superlative ensemble cast led by Mikaela Cohen in the titular role. Bay Street Players welcomed nearly 1,000 students to the theatre for special performances of The Diary of Anne Frank. Going forward, we will continue to offer, at minimum, one production each season to which educators have the opportunity to bring their classes.
In addition to special performances of The Diary of Anne Frank for students from across the region, we were pleased to continue the theatre’s mission to educate with a special lobby exhibition in partnership with The Holocaust Resource and Education Center of Florida. The presentation included a jarring selection of World War II stories, photographs, and other ephemera for our patrons and the public alike and raised funds in support of the Center.
Bay Street Players Young Peoples’ Theatre returned to present three productions this year in the spring and fall: The Wind in the Willows, Wiley and the Hairy Man, and The Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off!
We are pleased to announce Sarah Beth Ganey as Bay Street Players’ new YPT Director, who will join us this spring to lead students in DreamWorks’ Madagascar: A Musical Adventure!, along with two other plays. Bay Street Players will also offer personalized voice coaching for students.
Limited engagements abounded at the State Theatre this year. Chase Padgett, John Babcock, and The Down Home Darlings returned to our stage with special runs of their hit shows. We were excited to close the year with a limited engagement of the classic holiday ballet The Nutcracker, presented by Lake/Marion Ballet Company.
Looking ahead to 2023, a revival of our hit production of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…BOOM! returns by popular demand in January starring Christian Shaw, Samantha Jenkins, and Xavier Crawford. David Clevinger will direct and design Ken Ludwig’s classic farce, Lend Me a Tenor, and this summer we will present the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel, Matilda.
The State Theatre has been a place to share powerful stories for a century, and we cannot do it alone.
Bay Street Players is a community of volunteers, both on and off stage. We take this time to thank our volunteers, patrons, donors, and supporters in every capacity for joining us this year and look forward to welcoming you back to the State Theatre in 2023!
From our family to yours,
happy holidays!