Tipp City Players Community Theatre

About Us:

In 1975, Jerry Huntsberger, Community Schools Director, met with Ken Frisch, Claudia Pankake, and Jeanne Parsons to discuss the possibility of organizing a community theatre. The decision was "We can do it." and with a fifth believer, Peggy Hadden, it was decided that the The Music Man would be the first production.  In June, Ken Frisch spoke to the Tipp City Rotary presenting the idea of a community theatre.  Harold N. Long volunteered to contact "angels" to finance the first production and try outs were held.  The Music Man was presented to the public in August to an almost complete sellout crowd.  The spirit of the "76 Trombones" kept playing through the minds of the community, and in January 1976, an organizational meeting was held.  Kenneth C. Frisch was elected as the president of the newly formed Tipp City Players

Jim & TomA constitution was drafted and adopted with the following statement of purpose "The primary purpose of the Tipp City Players, Inc., is the promotion of cultural, theatrical, and musical arts in Tipp City and its environs."   In 1976, the Tipp City Players celebrated their incorporation with the production of Oklahoma and several Christmas programs. The Players joined OCTA in 1977 and expanded to two major productions with the musical Carousel in the summer and Egad, What a Cad! for the Mum Festival.   A five-show season , which included the first children's theatre, was undertaken in 1979.

Murder Me, Murder Me Not CastIncreased experience and knowledge, continued community support, a rapidly growing membership, and an underlying enthusiasm was the mainstay throughout the mid-80's.  However, as the group's numbers and supporters began to dwindle in the early 1990's, it became apparent to some of the Players that new blood was needed.  The mid-1990's generated a core group of new Tipp City Players with the musicals Oliver! and The Sound of Music.  This core group is currently active in supplying live theatre for the local community, as well as, providing a reader's theatre program for the Community Night Candlewalk and a $500.00 scholarship for a local graduate.  As the Tipp City Players continue into the new millenium, however, there remains the need for renewed community support in both the entertainer and audience aspects.