Hello New Players Friends and Family,

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This year marks the first season since the retirement of Meg Schaefer, our fearless leader for the past 17 years. While the New Players are embracing this change, some things stay the same: there’s a lot of work to do!

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September was a whirlwind of activity: getting The Little Theater ready for students, rearranging the office, holding auditions, casting the first two shows, electing presidents of the Leadership Council, building a robust production crew, and creating new fundraisers, to name a few! Our first show, CLUE, is rehearsing as I type. Set crew is in the shop banging away on platforms. Costumes are pulling pieces and lighting is assembling the scaffolding.

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Behind the scenes, the NPC Board and I are working hard to catapult the Company into the future. We’ve updated our website and improved ticketing—soon, we will be offering season passes. Venmo is about to make an appearance and we’re upping our publicity game!

One of this year’s goals will be to gain more visibility in town. Everyone (in Ridgewood at least) should be clamoring to see whatever “The New Players” are up to. Surely, there is always something! Our motto is “Get Butts in the Seats!” With this in mind, we’ve chosen shows that are fun and familiar. To direct, design and construct these shows, we’ve brought in an A-Team of seasoned artists. As the NEWPS say, this season is EPIC!

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The New Players Company is dedicated to offering students the highest caliber of theatre education with a wide range of experiences, both on stage and off. Students develop acting and technical skills under the expert guidance of theatre professionals, often alumni who make their living in the theater. This year, we’ve also added RHS students from photography and graphic design to our roster.

The New Players Company strives to instill in students a love of the arts and a passion for creative collaboration.

Theatre is a labor of love. It is intense. It is life changing. It is expensive. We are the largest extra-curricular activity at Ridgewood High School, with over 150 participating students, and we are in continuous production from September through July each year.

Our annual operating budget is more than $250,000, of which the Board of Education funds less than 20%. We must raise the rest on our own. We do this through box office revenue (Sell out the shows!), fundraising efforts (Give at Concert!) and most importantly, through the generosity of people like YOU. Your support is crucial in providing the quality theatre education that has been the hallmark of the New Players Company for over 50 years.

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Become a Patron now. The future is bright!

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I would like to personally thank you all for your support and enthusiasm for my first year as Artistic Director.

See you in The Little Theater!

Kelly Van Zile

Artisitic Director, RHS New Players