The Naples Players Expands Arts Access & Education

The Naples Players (TNP) has made a significant change to its renowned Arts Education Programs by establishing an “Arts Access” department and hiring Jennifer Price as the Director of Youth Education.

Ever since incorporating “Wellness through the arts” programs into TNP’s Education program in 2017, the TNP Education Department has seen unprecedented growth in both traditional and accessible arts education programs for both children and adults.

As the organization begins to move back into its newly renovated facility on Fifth Avenue South in Downtown Naples – including a 100 seat black box theatre dedicated entirely to Educational Programs – The Naples Players is looking toward the future.

The new “Arts Access” department of The Naples Players will be tasked with leading the organization’s unparalleled accessibility programs, including the further development of the organization’s more than 30 nonprofit partners; the roll-out of the facility’s state-of-the art technologies, including hearing assistance technologies; and even the integration of the new facility’s “Sensory Booth” – a viewing room in the Kizzie Theatre that allows families impacted by Autism, Down Syndrome, and other sensory processing disorders to enjoy any performance with their own independent control of temperature, volume, and brightness.

“The Naples Players mission is to build community through unparalleled access to the power of theatre,” said Bryce Alexander, CEO & Executive Artistic Director. “Our programs and our new facility are a model for integrating the local community into the theatre, and the ‘Arts Access’ department will ensure that we can continue to demonstrate to the rest of the nation the ways that local theaters can impact their communities.”

The department will be led by Nick Dalton, Craig Price, and Summer Pliskow – who are already changing the regional landscape for arts access and education.

Joining the team to further develop the organization’s extremely popular youth education programs is Jennifer Price. For the last 15 years, Jennifer has been a teacher for Collier County Public Schools. She has certifications and experience teaching several different grade levels and subject areas, and is Gifted and ESOL Endorsed. Most recently Jennifer has been at Gulf Coast High School as the Director of Drama.

Under Jennifer’s leadership, the Theatre program at Gulf Coast High has served over 200 students school-wide each year and boasts achievements such as 50+ awards from Broadway Star of the Future, most notably a 2021 Jimmy Award Nominee, Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Direction of a Musical, multiple ITS achievements, including a MainStage Production at the 2023 Florida State Thespian festival and consecutive Top Honors for Individual Events. She oversaw the creation of a traveling cabaret to provide accessibility to underserved organizations in our community, helped facilitate fundraising for Theatre education, and developed an Officer Board that gives program autonomy to the students.

Along with her husband, Zach, and their three children, Rylee, Grace, and Carder, Jennifer has been heavily involved with The Naples Players for the last 15 years. The entire family has participated both on and off-stage. Sharing the stage with her children and watching them grow up in The Naples Players’ education program motivated her desire to leave the district and focus on Theatre Education at TNP.

Serving more than 6500 students annually, TNP’s unique focus on Traditional and Nontraditional arts programs for students and adults has positioned the organization to make a significant impact in the local community. The organization’s new structures, combined with their new facility, will see the organizations impact only continue to increase. The organization recently unveiled its spring and summer classes, offering dozens of titles and programs for students of all ages.

TNP also serves more than 50,000 audience members annually, providing high-quality productions that showcase the local talents of the region. The 2024-2025 Season was announced last week, and includes 3 major musicals, classic American dramas, and side-splitting comedies.

For registration and ticketing information, please visit www.naplesplayers.org

FEATURED PHOTO JENNIFER PRICE