A True CommUNITY Theater
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BERGEN COUNTY PLAYERS AT A GLANCE
NOTABLE DATES IN BCP HISTORY
| 1932 | Organization formed at YMCA in Hackensack. (Y Players, Hasbrouck Heights Players, Rochelle Park Players, etc. joined to become the BCP. Productions were given mostly at the “Y.”) Rented a store on Main Street in Hackensack in order to have more room. Renovated and used for one year. |
| 1933 | Back to the “Y” where the stage was rebuilt for better facilities. |
| 1934 |
35 members of the Bergen County Theatre guild joined the BCP. |
| 1938 | Summer Theater season at Anona Park in Upper Saddle River |
| 1940 | Had outgrown the “Y.” Rented an unused soap factory building on Howland Avenue in River Edge. Cleaned it up, built stage and auditorium, and converted it into a theater. |
| 1944 | Howland Avenue theater burned down on February night in a spectacular fire. Opened next show on schedule in “Little Barn” theater at Bergen Junior College in Teaneck (now Fairleigh Dickinson University). Played shows there on Saturday nights until 1949. Stored equipment in rented store in Bogota. Put up sets on Saturday morning at the college, and took them down after performance on Saturday nights. Played Thursdays and Fridays at schools, churches, auditoriums, anywhere. |
| 1949 | Took over the little old firehouse in Oradell. Put stage on back, converted it into theater and moved into permanent home. First show: “See My Lawyer” opened on October 27, 1949. |
| 1956 | Added extension to front of building, making larger box office, coat check facilities and entrance. |
| 1963 | BCP elects first female President, Rosie Shulman. |
| 1968 | Added $50,000 extension to back, adding storage, rehearsal and work room space. |
| 1975 | BCP presents its first annual holiday children’s show. |
| 1980 | Put in 210 new seats (replacements) and new electronic light board. |
| 1981 | BCP installs central air conditioning. |
| 1995 | BCP debuts its first Second Stage production “Love Letters.” |
| 1990s | BCP computerizes its box office. |
| 2005 | A ramp for the handicapped is installed. |
| 2007 | BCP begins selling tickets online. |
BCP FACTS "By the Numbers"
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210 - seats in auditorium
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300+ active members
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7 + 2 BCP gives seven Main Stage productions (running for four weekends) every year and two Second Stage shows (one weekend each).
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75 Years in continuous operation
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58 Years in our own theater
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5,300+ Number of performances given
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650,000+ Number of patrons who have enjoyed BCP productions
Current ticket prices:
Opening Musical - $21.00
Fridays and Saturdays - $19.00
Sundays - $16.00
Children’s shows - $13.00
Second stage shows - $10.00
Organizational Facts
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Executive Board: elected by membership annually
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Board of Governors: committee made up of all active past presidents
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Play and Casting: committee that chooses, casts and directs the plays
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Business and executive meetings: monthly, open to members and public
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BCP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
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BCP is a member of The New Jersey Theatre League, and AACT (American Association of Community Theatre)
Did You Know...
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At one point regular membership in the BCP was limited to 157 people, which was the number of seats in the theater.
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The Players used to close a show on a Saturday night, and open the next show on the following Friday taking only 5 nights to build the new set, hang the lights and rehearse on stage! Today, the group gives itself two weeks between each production in order to mount as professional a show as possible for its patrons.
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Brooks Atkinson, the late drama critic for the NY Times, devoted his September 20, 1965 “Critic at Large” column to BCP’s benefit performances for the Durham Center Museum in Greenville, NY.
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BCP provided the extras for an episode of “Extra” in June 2000.
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Live animals on our stage have included dogs and a goat!
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Legend has it that a “ghost” roams the theater. The ghost has been seen, heard and felt in many areas of the building including the upstairs rehearsal space, as well as the downstairs lounge. The Players even had a psychic come in to attempt some form of communication.
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On May 16, 1952, Miss Oradell Fire Department was crowned on our stage.
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In the late 1970’s, BCP served as the resident arts group at Bergen Community College.
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Our lounge has been “English pub” style since the fall of 1965.
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Throughout the past 74 seasons, the Bergen County Players has raised its curtain over 5,300 times for over 650,000 patrons. In that time, over 150,000 people have left their program behind on the floor.
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Over 15 couples met and married after joining the Bergen County Players. Two couples actually got married on our stage.