Bay Street Players

Following a tough year for non-profit and performing arts organizations across the world, Bay Street Players, Inc (BSP) concluded its 46th Main Stage season in August 2021 with an overwhelmingly successful production of Mamma Mia! and looked toward the future with optimism.The BSP team welcomed hundreds of patrons - safely - to a standing room only open house on the occasion of our historic State Theatre's 100th anniversary, for an announcement of our 47th season hosted by Tony and Golden Globe-winning actor Barry Bostwick. It was at that moment that we again felt a sense of community that is vital to our success. Simultaneously, we welcomed several new members to our Board of Directors, each of whom have a special connection to the BSP community. We capitalized on our free time during quarantine to overhaul our website design and refresh our brand. Outlook was bright.The season began with the often undervalued, yet charming, production, The Roar of the Greasepaint-the Smell of the Crowd, followed by the fabulous musical comedy The Legend of Georgia McBride, which welcomed many new faces to our stage and our house. As we end 2021, our unique production of A Christmas Carol: A New Musical, written and directed by our resident Artistic Director, Carlos Francisco Asse, continues to charm families for the third consecutive holiday season. Our Young People's Theatre (YPT) students will then take the stage for a nostalgic performance of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.Looking ahead to the New Year, ambitious productions of Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical and Harper Lee's classic tale, To Kill a Mockingbird are on the horizon. We plan to continue our focus on youth education initiatives beyond the YPT program-now in its 45th consecutive year - with dedicated productions of Mockingbird for high school students from across Central Florida. Our Avant-Garde Series returns to our calendar with productions of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Doubt and The Turn of the Screw, an adaptation for the stage of Henry James' nineteenth century horror novella.In March 2020, we gathered together for what would be the last time before quarantine at our benefit dinner and performance, Play Your Part. We are excited to revive this successful fund raising event again for our valued patrons on March 12, 2022.We may be in a new world, but some things remain the same: the support from our community is strong. After 100 years, it is true that at The State Theatre the show always goes on.