The final line of this history is "All are welcome." Reading Community Players is now over 85 years old and one of the oldest community theaters in the state. We would never have gotten here without the fact that all are welcome!

In the year 1920, an organization named the Reading Community Club was formed at First Church of Our Father, Universalist, 416 Franklin Street in Reading, by its pastor, the Rev. L. Griswold Williams. A division of that group was called the Reading Community Players, whose object was “to stage and produce plays of such nature that would not be given by commercial theater.” Its first play, The Ladies Aid, was presented early in 1921 on a stage in the recreation room at the church. Rev. Mr. Williams guided the group through the first 10 years of its existence.

In 1924, Reading Community Players presented their first full-length play, Ibsen’s Ghosts, for two performances. It was repeated in November of 1925 at Douglass & Weiser Junior High School. Gradually winning the support of Reading theatergoers, Players opened their 1925 season with three one-act plays at the Orpheum Theater. The group alternated doing several one-act plays in an evening with full length plays for some years, using various local stages in schools.

In June of 1930, Rev. Williams resigned both as director of the group and pastor of the church. Jacob Sotter followed him as president. With the founder gone, actual connection as a group with the Universalist church was impossible and membership was opened to the general public. As membership grew, more plays were given, and gradually the one-act play lost its prominence in the schedule. A workshop was formed, and later a dramatic class, meeting weekly for lessons in diction, pantomime and general instruction, instituted under Mrs. George Wolfe. Finally, a season of full-length plays alone was the rule for major public productions. Reading then had a Little Theater group that took its place among the better tributary theaters in the country.

The 14th season was to be the last at Universalist Church, where Players were now paying rent. In 1934, quarters were found at 419 Washington Street and productions were moved to the Woman’s Club on North 5th Street. Plays were produced every year until the end of the 20th season in 1941, when productions were closed for six years due to World War II, although the group presented The Favor many times during the Seventh War Loan Drive.

On May 22, 1946, Players returned to the local theater scene with a one-night stand of Blithe Spirit at Northwest Junior High School, which it continued to use until it moved back to the Universalist church for its 1949-50 season after enlarging the stage there and adding new lighting equipment.

In June of 1957, Players moved to the second floor of 126 N. 4th St, where they were to remain for five years until the purchase of their own theater. On April 4, 1962, Players reached a milestone with the purchase of the old Queen Theater at 11th and Buttonwood Streets for their permanent quarters. In the recent years preceding the purchase, the building had been used as quarters for the Roosevelt Democratic Club. The purchase price was $15,000. A fund-raising drive was inaugurated July 12 to raise $50,000 to ready the theater for a fall opening. John Moxon, president of the Carpenter Steel Co., was named as general chairman for the drive.

The RCP Playhouse on 11th Street opened Oct. 5, 1962 with a special 11-performance run of Apple in the Attic, by Lucile Logan and Mildred Jordan Bausher, from the latter’s novel of the same name. The theater building has been maintained since that time with the 15-year mortgage being paid off in just eight years, air conditioning being installed in 1967, and various heating, lighting and other minor improvements being made for the past 35 years.

At present, the building is in need of many major changes, including a new roof, handicapped accessibility, seating, and updates to the electrical system. The biggest single disadvantage of the present location seems to be the lack of off-street parking for patrons. However, the shows continue to draw audiences from Reading and around the county and to provide true live community theatre to its patrons and artistic opportunities for local talent who join the organization. All are welcome!

Condensed and edited from “A Record of the first 50 years in the Organization’s History” by Bart Reedy, now deceased, former president, director and Life Member of RCP.