Uptown Players

Uptown Players offers equity membership candidacy (EMC) program weeks for local artists and stage managers desiring enough credit to join Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers. Due to the pandemic and global health crisis, Uptown Players pivoted to filming productions and streaming archival video of past productions to patrons' homes. As a result, Uptown Players provided work for 16 professional (union) actors, non-union actors, and 3 stage managers in a COVID safe film environment. During 2023, Uptown Players produced five live productions: Silver Foxes, Broadway Our Way 2022, Cruel Intentions: The 90's Musical, Chicken & Biscuits, and Jada Bells - A Holiday Extravaganza. Uptown Players also provided free online content during the pandemic, including hosting an hour long episode of Stars in the House, a national daily webcast featuring Broadway performers and regional theater work around the country. The theater has won over 25 Leon Rabin Awards and 30 Theater Critics Forum Awards in its first nineteen seasons. It has also been named the best theater company by the Dallas Voice Readers and by the Dallas Observer. It was also featured in D Magazine and on Good Morning Texas and Daybreak on WFAA.The program service expenses were play production expenses. These expenses included theater rental, royalty payments, labor for cast, crew, directors, and designers, lighting, sound, filming, editing, streaming, sets, costumes, props, travel, and ticketing expenditures.Uptown Players, Inc. productions are also supported by approximately 125 volunteers who help provide labor in various capacities in support of the theater.