About Us
Our Mission
St. Marys Community Players (SMCP) is a not for profit community theatre group established in 1974 which has developed into one of the premier amateur theatres in South Western Ontario.
Our motto: The best in each of us, nourishing all of us.
Our mission is to offer live theatre productions which engage the broader community, both as patrons of our theatre and as active participants in the production of our plays.
The SMCP always welcomes new members who enjoy being a part of a creative, fun-loving group who are always ready to support your interest and, if necessary, train you in theatre craft, be it on stage or behind the scenes.
Our Vision
As an important cultural organization in St. Marys, our vision includes:
Our History
Theatre in St. Marys began in the late 1940’s with Rev. Parson’s rendition of The Desert Song. There were only three costumes rented for that production, as more than 60 volunteers from St. Marys and area designed, cut and sewed the rest of the costumes from old drapes, curtains and sheets (it sounds as if they took a page from Scarlett O’Hara’s ‘cape from the drapes’ in Gone With the Wind!).
The performance of The Desert Song was a huge success, releasing the “theatre bug” into the town and ultimately leading to the formation of the St. Marys Little Theatre. After setting the goal of their membership campaign at 1000, the group was no doubt delighted when the first day found 800 signed on and a full waiting list by the end of the week!
Successful dramas filled the next ten years, some good enough to compete in the prestigious Dominion Drama Festivals. The advent of television stole the attention from live theatre and a talented theatre community lay dormant.
It wasn’t until October of 1974 that the Little Theatre was re-born as St. Marys Community Players. Since that time, the group has produced 39 years of excellent comedies, dramas and musicals, including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Music Man, On Golden Pond, The Odd Couple, The Mouse Trap, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Mame and many others. For more recent productions, see the Plays page.
In 1981, a contest was held to design a logo for SMCP. Peggy McQuirk’s logo was outstanding in combining the theatre mask with the letters in our name
Community Players is blessed with a host of dedicated people who offer their talents in production areas such as producing and administration, costuming, hair design, set design, construction, decoration and “front-of-house” ushering and ticket selling. These jobs are every bit as important to the success of any production as the more obvious directors, actors and musicians. The door is always open to anyone who is interested in taking part in community theatre in St. Marys.
Newspaper article from April 20th, 1950 about a St. Marys Little Theatre rehersal for “Nothing but the truth”.
Peggy McQuirk’ wins the contest to design a logo for the SMCP in 1981.
Frederick Knott’s suspense thriller “Wait Until Dark” performed by the SMCP kept the audience on their toes.
The play “On Golden Pond” marked the 30th Anniversary for the St. Marys Community Players.
The play “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is a memorable SMCP production from 1997.
The St. Marys Community Players celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 1998 with the play “Mame”.
