Somerset Valley Players Theater
Somerset Valley Players is a nonprofit organization that puts together the talents and passions of actors of all ages in a collection of plays and musicals throughout the year. The organization began in 1967 as a small group of people who wanted to share their interests in acting with the public. They looked for any venues or stages they could act on and performed shows. As time went on they were able to do more shows and eventually found a permanent location where they could have their own theater. They worked hard to convert the building into a functioning theater and it became the building they perform in today. They named themselves the Somerset Valley Players because they wanted to represent and share their talents with many different towns such as Belle Mead, Somerville, Hillsborough and more.
As seen by their name selection, Somerset Valley Players are very dedicated to their community. They are proud to be a part of their community and want their community to feel the same way about them through their shows. Roberta Steve says, “When you come to live theater, there’s that excitement that anything can happen. You’re seeing real people, real time, there’s nothing like it and we want people to fall in love with that experience.” This is why they always work meticulously to make their shows the best possible outcome for their audiences to view. Somerset Valley Players have many volunteers who help them build sets, maintain the building and do many other things that help the organization put on the best possible performance they can. The volunteers and others who are involved are so hardworking that once they even got family pictures of one of their own actors and photo shopped them with other actors who were playing their family members in the play and put them on a family room set to make it look more realistic.
The dedication does not stop there, Somerset Valley Players do not only think about the quality of their performance but also about the experience of their audience. They have hearing aids for people who are hearing impaired but still want to enjoy shows and are wheelchair accessible. They also sell concessions such as coffee, candy and soda. Anything you can find at this concession area is only $1 so that people can comfortably buy and enjoy without having to spend too much money. Through their efforts they are trying to make their theater a comfortable place that people will want to visit during the weekend to just relax and watch a show with their friends and family.
Fortunately, their admirable hard work has not gone unnoticed. Over the years Somerset Valley Players has been nominated for 23 Perry Awards given by the New Jersey Association of Community Theaters (NJACT) and has won many of those awards as well. Just last year they won 6 nominations for a single play called Cheaper by the Dozen. The cast of one of their plays also got recognized in a new light. The cast was given the opportunity to sing the national anthem at two different Somerset Patriots shows. They cast happily participated in order to promote their community presence to achieve their goal of becoming a well known, comfortable theater.
Somerset Valley Players have grown a lot since their first years of acting. They now do eight shows a year, 6 of which are plays and the other two are musicals. Each show has 9 performances. Somerset Valley Players also always make sure to do a fun holiday show at the end of the year to spread the holiday spirit to their community. They usually try to find new and fresh stories to perform and try not to repeat shows. They try to perform a wide range of genres from horror and mystery to comedy. Somerset Valley Players also support new playwrights by conducting readings by their available actors of the playwrights’ plays.
Roberta Steve also explained the careful process the organization conducts to choose and prepare the shows. First, the selection committee, which is run by volunteers, chooses the shows for the season. Then the leadership team, which consists of various jobs such as producer director and lighting designer, is chosen. After that, the producer and director work together to choose the cast through auditions. Once the cast is chosen, rehearsals can begin. Usually the cast rehearses for 8 weeks before the show, which is why there is approximately an 8 week gap between each show throughout the year. Rehearsals occur two to three times a week and the attendance requirement varies between the roles. Actors with more important roles will have to attend close to every rehearsal and all cast members have to be available during tech week, the week leading up to the first performance.
People who are interested in watching the shows can visit their website to book tickets. The website allows you to choose which seat you want in the auditorium. Tickets for plays are $20 for adults and $18 for students and seniors. For musicals, the tickets cost $22 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. This money is usually put into upcoming plays and maintenance of the theater as the organization is nonprofit. Those who are interested in auditioning for the shows can stay on the lookout for announcements of upcoming plays on Facebook.
As mentioned before volunteers often help the organization. In fact, the entire organization is based on volunteer help. Some volunteers come in to take out the trash, while others like painters and artists help create fantastic sets. Somerset Valley Players is always looking for volunteers of the age 16 and up. The volunteers currently helping out at Somerset Valley Players have a really strong passion for theater and absolutely love the atmosphere the theater has created. They love meeting new people and admire the performances the actors put on. Those who are interested in volunteering can look at the Somerset Valley Players’ website for more information on how to get involved.
Somerset Valley Players in Hillsborough NJ is hoping to constantly increase awareness in their community about their shows. They are always looking to improve and attract new audiences. Roberta Steve wants the community to know that “We [Somerset Valley Players] are here, we are an award winning theater, we were named the Reader’s Choice Community Theater in Somerset… by the readers of the Courier News.” She and the rest of the theater want the community to understand that they will always put on quality performances to entertain their audiences.