The Naples Players are officially entering their Dynamic 70th season

JOSEPH BYRNE as Quasimodo, and Ensemble

The Naples Players (TNP) are officially entering their dynamic 70th season, presented by Porsche Naples, with the opening night of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and public access to individual tickets for all upcoming productions. In spite of TNP’s $20m renovation on their 5th Avenue Building, they’ve sold out two productions during their 70th season.

From July 5 to July 23, 2023, The Naples Players presents the epic musical, The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Community School of Naples, home to TheatreZone.

Opening night for this production was met with much praise, with patrons raving about how “it is a powerful and professional production in every way. Having seen the preview of the Off-Broadway run at Papermill Playhouse in NJ in 2015, I have been comparing the two productions. The TNP is comparable to that professional production… Excellent casting, wonderful throughout, and musically moving. It has a dynamic set and was fantastically executed for such a large, impressive cast in an intimate setting.”

What makes a monster and what makes a man? This timeless retelling of Victor Hugo’s renowned novel, partnered with Disney & Alan Menken’s sweeping score and Stephen Schwartz’s moving lyrics, demonstrates the power of love, acceptance, and what it means to be a hero. The Teen company will then perform The Hunchback of Notre Dame Teen from August 4th to August 6th, 2023.

Next, A.R. Gurney masterfully weaves together 60 different characters from different families, time periods, and backgrounds in the second show of the season, The Dining Room. Each of these pieces brings life, laughter, and togetherness to the place where families gather: the dining room. Catch this classic family comedy from October 4th to October 22nd in McSpadden Hall at Naples United Church of Christ.

Celebrate the holidays in style with Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, playing November 1 to November 19, 2023 in McSpadden Hall at Naples United Church of Christ. Two years after Mr. Darcy sweeps Elizabeth Bennet off of her feet in Pride and Prejudice, the Bennet family is celebrating Christmas at Pemberley, the Darcy residence. When an unexpected visitor joins the celebrations, the sisters are forced to change their perspectives on life, love, and their role in society.

For two nights only, celebrate Christmas in downtown Naples with It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, December 8th and 9th, sponsored by Transcend Capital Advisor. This beloved American holiday staple comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve.

KELLY ROSSBERG as Saint

From January 10 – January 28, 2024 in McSpadden Hall at Naples United Church of Christ will be Mary Chase’s classic play, Harvey, sponsored by Gulf Coast International Properties. In this show, friendship comes in all shapes and sizes – at least, that’s what 47-year-old Elwood P. Dowd and his very best friend, Harvey, believe. The only challenge? Harvey is an invisible, 6-foot-tall rabbit. Made popular by the movie starring Jimmy Stewart, follow the duo in the hilarious Pulitzer prize-winning show about loyalty, friendship, and acceptance.

From February 14 – March 3, 2024 in McSpadden Hall at Naples United Church of Christ, The Naples Players will highlight local talent in the form of the laugh-out-loud comedy, Laugh, Cry, Pee, Repeat! sponsored by Gallerie Indigo. From local playwrights Patti Caroli, Carole Fenstermacher, and Natalie King comes this uproarious comedy about womanhood, aging, and everything in between! No topic is off the table as these women tell it like it is, was, and should be.

From March 13 – April 7, 2024, The Naples Players will reopen the 5th Avenue building with Mel Brooks’ classic musical, The Producers, presented on the newly-renovated Kizzie Theater stage (previously Blackburn Hall) sponsored by Lake Michigan Credit Union. This laugh-out-loud spectacle follows a Broadway producer and his accountant who mastermind a scheme to produce Broadway’s biggest flop and exploit their investors. But when the show is an accidental smash hit, the two scramble to put it together, finding themselves in one hilarious snafu after another.

To complete the season, The Play That Goes Wrong will be presented on the Kizzie Theater stage from May 1 – May 26, 2024, sponsored by Garage Doors of Naples. The Play That Goes Wrong welcomes you to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. With an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines), it’s “TONS OF FUN FOR ALL AGES” (HuffPost) and “COMIC GOLD” (Variety) – sure to bring down the house!

CEO/Artistic Director, Bryce Alexander, says, “This is an exciting year for The Naples Players and our community. Not only are we breaking ground on our renovation, we’re continuing to serve our community as we build a new home. We have chosen a season that reflects our current state of celebrating where we come from while anticipating where we will go, and we hope audiences feel that too.”

ASEEM UPADHYAY as Captain Phoebus

The Naples Players is also pleased to announce their education season sponsored by BUILD! From July 28 – 30 in McSpadden Hall at Naples United Church of Christ comes the classic musical, Beauty and the Beast JR. Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance.  It features some of the most popular songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.

During the 2023-2024 Season, The Naples Players will also feature four evenings of new plays by their Readers Theatre program: A Source of Innocent Merriment (October 8, 2023),  A Day Without Laughter is a Day Wasted (November 12, 2023), Annual New Play Festival (January 21, 2024), and Love is a Tenuous Adventure (April 14, 2024).

FEATURED PHOTO; Bryce Alexander TNP’s Executive Artistic Director

If interested in auditioning for any of The Naples Players’ productions, please keep an eye on their website NaplesPlayers.org for more information. Sensory-friendly performances will be available for select productions and announced at a later date.

Individual tickets are on sale at the TNP Box Office. Those interested can visit NaplesPlayers.org anytime

or call the TNP Box Office at 239-263-7990.