About Us
Our History
The Pittsfield Players were founded 45 years ago, in 1968, by Roland Charron, who, at that time, was president of the Chamber of Commerce in Pittsfield. Mr. Charron lent the Chamber's financial support to the fledgling group who wanted to bring Community Theatre and the cultural benefits of live entertainment to Pittsfield, NH and the Suncook Valley area. The group performed at various locations in Pittsfield, such as the library and the school, presenting plays twice a year. In the 1970's The Players began performing at the Scenic Theatre, the local movie house, renting space from the owner, Arthur Dame, and using a portable stage which was removed after the run of the show and stored, along with all the lights, costumes, etc., in various barns and houses belonging to the members of The Players. The group's rehearsals during the 70's and 80's were held in the old Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street, on the third floor, in unheated space. Soon, all the costumes, props and lights were stored there as well. In 1991, The Pittsfield Players purchased the Scenic Theatre from Arthur Dame, who was retiring, and began restoring and renovating the building while performing there as well.
The Scenic Theatre was built in 1914 and served as the Grand Army of the Republic meeting hall for Civil War Veterans for many years. Formerly named the Liberty Theatre, the Scenic has the distinction of being host to the first movie screening in Pittsfield, a silent offering accompanied by a full orchestra, beginning a tradition that would last for over 70 years. The theatre is a contributing building within the Pittsfield Center Historic District and hosts a plaque from the Pittsfield Historical Society, telling visitors on Pittsfield's Historic walk about the building and its grand history.
In 1957, Arthur and Vaulien Dame bought the Scenic and ran it as a first run movie theater until 1991, when The Pittsfield Players purchased the building as a home for their community theatre group, with the hopes of renovating and restoring the building and developing a Cultural Arts Center for the communities of the surrounding Suncook Valley. It was also our hope to raise funds to restore the building and to become an important member of the Pittsfield community.
In 1991, The Players received two matching grants from the NH State Council on the Arts. The first, a $1,000 Quick Grant, enabled us to make repairs to the entrance in order to gain handicapped accessibility to the theatre. The second grant, for $5,000, allowed us to add an additional fire exit to the building, purchase fire doors for all our exits, and begin electrical work in the building, which included bringing upgraded service into the theatre and new wiring to both he theatre proper and the backstage area. For both grants, The Players raised the matching funds for the projects from donations. Also at that time, The Players took out a mortgage on the building in order to retire the debt we had to Arthur Dame, who had mortgaged the building for us himself. The mortgage was for $25,000, to be paid monthly for ten years, with a balloon payment at the end of the term. The Players made double monthly payments by mounting a cabaret style dinner theatre show, and by catering at local community events, and retired that entire mortgage debt in five years.
In 1994, The Pittsfield Rotary Club adopted The Players as their President's project and furnished the funds for new vinyl siding for the front façade of the Scenic -- volunteers from our group painted the wooden sections of the front entrance façade on weekends to keep costs down. A Siding Fund was set up to raise the additional $30,000 to complete the sides and the back of the building. Through public donations, The Players were able to complete the project, including replacement windows, by 1997. This partnership with the Rotary Club that began in 1994 continued for a time, with The Players cooking dinner for Rotary meetings monthly and staffing their concession stand at their annual Balloon Rally. The Players catered their Christmas parties and their Changing of the Guard events for many years and have been honored to be associated with such a vital part of our community.
In 1998, The Players applied for a facilities grant to the NH Community Theater Association and were successful in raising a matching grant of $7,000 to add two additional bathrooms tot he building. The matching funds were raised from public donations, and the project was completed in less than 18 months. In addition, The Players undertook a major renovation to the interior of the theatre in 2000, replacing the old stage and seats and refurbishing the walls and floor of the main theatre. This was all done with volunteers from our organization and funds raised from the community.
In 2002, we applied for a grant from the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program in order to renovate and restore the upper front façade of the Scenic Theatre. The project, which cost $20,962, was funded by NHLCHIP in the amount of $10,981, and the remainder was raised again from private contributions.
In 2005, The Players received a donation of $10,000 from Globe Manufacturing Company to install a second staircase in the backstage area of the theatre to improve fire access. We also raised money for a sprinkler system that was required by our local fire department.
During all of these renovations, The Pittsfield Players have also been presenting quality live entertainment to our audiences. That is, after all, our mission.
Our Mission
The mission of the Pittsfield Players & the Scenic Theater is to entertain, inform, and educate, thereby enriching the cultural life of the City of Pittsfield and the surrounding area. The Players shall provide area residents the opportunity both to attend and to participate in quality presentations of a cross-section of the finest theatrical works available. The Pittsfield Players shall provide education in the theater arts to adults and children. In meeting these goals, The Pittsfield Players shall be mindful of the standards of its audiences and shall maintain fiscally sound management.
What We Do
The Players typically mount five shows per year, usually a musical, two straight plays, a youth theatre workshop, and a summer theatre camp. Keep an eye on our annual Season page for a schedule of shows for the year.
Occasionally, we host local musicians, fundraisers, and other events.
Trash & Recycling
Carry In Carry Out
The Pittsfield Players do not have a dumpster; therefore, we need to transfer all trash from the theater to the BCEP Solid Waste District. In the interest of cutting down on trips to the waste facility, we ask that our cast, crew, and members help us enforce our carry in/carry out policy of trash - especially food trash. During rehearsals and work days, we ask that you bring your trash home with you. This policy also helps us avoid attracting the critters into our theater home.
Recycling
While we do our best to respect our environment by separating out plastic and cans for recycling, we do not currently own recycle bins for the theater. We have added these to our Amazon Registry. If you are interested in donating one or more of these bins to the theater to make it easier for us to recycle during shows and events, please check out our Registry.
Fragrance Free Theatre
The Scenic Theatre is a fragrance free zone. Please respect actors, crew, staff, and patrons with fragrance allergies, and do not wear strong perfumes or scented lotions/skin products into the theatre.