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Towne Players Response to the Coronavirus

We hope that this message finds you safe and in good health as we all cope and adjust to the current situation and our new “normal”. We know that some of our supporters and members have been personally affected by COVID-19 and would like to let you know we are thinking of you.

We have all spent the past weeks navigating the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to adjust to this total change in our lives and trying to understand just how it affects our personal lives, our work lives, and for us, how it affects The Towne Players. So many of us have had to adapt to a very different way of doing things, whether we are working from home, or providing essential services, or going on toilet paper hunts. We understand it has not been easy for any of us.

The Towne Players Board has been working to understand the situation and determine our course of action. Community Theater groups such as ours exist to bring people together, to entertain and enlighten. We exist solely for the benefit of you - our members and our patrons and supporters. And you remain of utmost importance as we struggle to navigate this new world for ourselves and for the Towne Players. Based on government and community guidelines, based on timelines needed to bring you quality entertainment and to be able to market our events, we have had to make some very difficult decisions, which began with the previous postponement of our production of Death by Design. The cast and crew had worked so hard on this show only to have it postponed a week before opening. Our goal was to bring you the show in May or June of this year. But as we continue to monitor the situation, we have to put the health and safety of our members and patrons above all else. It is therefore with heavy hearts that we have decided to cancel the remainder of our 2019-2020 season. This includes Death by Design, our May performances of Bell, Book and Candle, and our Annual Member Meeting and Banquet in June.

But despite these challenges, we realize that we will need each other even more as time goes on, and when this is all over we will need theater again. And we at Towne Players are still committed to bringing you entertainment and giving you the opportunity to imagine, escape, and enjoy.

So please consider this just an * intermission *.

Relax, take a break, have a drink, and prepare for next season.

We are happy to inform you that we were able to work with the cast and crew of both of our canceled shows so that we can still bring you these shows in our upcoming season. We are excited and grateful that we can bring you those shows – the cast and crew of both shows have worked so hard this year to be able to perform for you and we are pleased to be able to still provide them with that opportunity. If you have already purchased tickets to either show, we will honor them for rescheduled performances. If for some reason, the rescheduled dates do not work for you, you can use those tickets for any other Towne Players show. *If you are holding dinner tickets to one of these shows, you will need to contact us since dinner seating is limited. Please contact us at tickets@towneplayers.com or call Pat at 716-837-7370.

We are still working on the exact dates for our shows next year – this is contingent on the situation surrounding us as well as on federal, state and local restrictions, including the Town of Tonawanda – as the reopening of our theater space depends on them. But we are happy to share the shows in order of their appearance:

Towne Players 2020-20201 Season

Death by Design Written by Rob Urbinati Directed by Mike Beiter

What happens when you mix the brilliant wit of Noël Coward with the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie? Set during a weekend in an English country manor in 1932, Death by Design is a delightful and mysterious “mash-up” of two of the greatest English writers of all time.

Bell, Book, and Candle Written by John Van Druten Directed by Pam Snyder, assisted by John Giarratano

Witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love, or can they? Join us for the classic play filled with fantasy and comedy.

Sylvia Written by A.R. Gurney Directed by Kathleen Weber

A modern romantic comedy about a marriage and a dog. “Dramatic literature is stuffed with memorable love scenes, but none is as immediately delicious and dizzy as the one that begins the redeeming affair in A.R. Gurney’s new comedy, SYLVIA…” —NY Times. “I can only call it one of the most involving, beautiful, funny, touching, and profound plays I have ever seen…” —NY Daily News. “Gurney’s mad comedy is the most endearing good time to trot down the pike in many a moon. Howlingly funny…” —BackStage.

Terror by Gaslight Written by Tim Kelly Directed by John Giarratano

Filled with suspense and sudden shocks, this cleverly constructed thriller will both enthrall and terrify an audience as it traces its macabre tale of body-snatching, explosive jealousies, and murder.

We are so grateful to all of our members and patrons and want to thank you for your patience and understanding, and your continued support. And more than that, thank you for all you are doing during these unprecedented times. We know that many of you, are working in essential roles in drug stores, grocery stores, restaurants, banks, insurance providers, nursing homes, and other essential services, and we thank you for enabling us to continue to function during this time. Thank you also to the teachers who are doing what they can to continue educating our children. And thank you to those of you working in the healthcare industry, working on the front lines doing what you can to provide medical assistance and comfort to all.

The Towne Players Board would like to give you and all essential workers a standing ovation.

Thank you again. We remain resolute that brighter days will return and that we will all join together again for an unforgettable new theater season!

Sincerely,

Towne Players Board

Join us for our Opening Night shows for dinner theater,

available only as presale only for $18!

Help support our theater, sponsored by KenTon Meals on Wheels.

Dinner includes a different main dish for every production, sides, drink, and dessert.

For Information on Dinner Show tickets, please call (716) 837-7370.

These tickets are available as presale only!

TOWNE NEWSWIRE: Click on the Productions tab and check out our upcoming shows. Interested in auditioning? Stage crew? Costumes? Click on the About Us tab and learn how you can become a Volunteer Superstar!