Stony Hill was founded in 1946 by a small group of theater enthusiasts in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey who gathered in homes to read plays and poetry, as well as to share their theatrical experiences and aspirations. In 1951 a group made up of young performers was formed and named The Pebble Players. Stony Hill Players has been staging operas, dramatic plays and musical events ever since.
The Story of The Stony Hill Players
Stony Hill was founded in 1946 by a small group of theater enthusiasts in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey who gathered in homes to read plays and poetry, as well as to share their theatrical experiences and aspirations. In 1951 a group made up of young performers was formed and named The Pebble Players which was brought back to life in 2009 – fulfilling a dream of Jayne Myers and Stony Hill Players. Stony Hill was incorporated on June 20, 1952.
The Players moved to Warren in 1970 when they leased the old Union Village Methodist Church on Mountain Ave., converting the annex into a 132-seat theater. The Players' first Warren production was "Cactus Flower," which debuted on April 5, l970.
Two major productions which usually ran for eight performances were offered each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The group's agreement with the church allowed it to use the old building as a playhouse in return for maintaining it. Although the Methodists had moved across the street to new quarters, they did not want to demolish the historic structure.
During its time in Warren, the amateur group put on musicals such as Kiss Me, Kate, Pippin and Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd. More serious productions included Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Dial M for Murder.
In the spring of 1981 the Warren Fire Department closed the theater in the middle of its run of Seven Keys to Baldpate, citing fire code violations. Emergency repairs kept the theater open for a time but within a few years the church building was sold and turned into a private residence, forcing the Stony Hill Players to new quarters in New Providence.
Since its inception, the group has performed in a number of venues in Warren, Berkley Heights, New Providence, Summit and Short Hills, the current being the Oakes Memorial Center at 120 Morris Ave. in Summit, New Jersey. Our theater is accessible to audiences from surrounding towns. Close proximity to Interstate Highways, trains and buses we draw from the wider Metro New York New Jersey area for our opera casts and audiences.
Our mission, as a theater group, are to produce a wide selection of staged productions including plays and musicals within our own resources but with a high degree of artistic ability; to promote and foster interest in all aspects of theater in our community including music and children's theater; to offer a learning opportunity to amateur actors, singers, and production staff in our community; and to reach as broad and diverse an audience as possible.
Stony Hill Players produces five shows every season: a youth production in the fall with our high school Pebble Players; one show in the winter for our youngest Pebble Players; a Cabaret Fundraiser evening in May that is a cocktail party followed by our Pebble Players performing in 22 different numbers; a college level production for ages 17-22 in the summer; and last, our Stony Hill Players Play for our adult actors in the late Summer/Fall.
Stony Hill was founded in 1946 by a small group of theater enthusiasts in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey who gathered in homes to read plays and poetry, as well as to share their theatrical experiences and aspirations. In 1951 a group made up of young performers was formed and named The Pebble Players which was brought back to life in 2009 – fulfilling a dream of Jayne Myers and Stony Hill Players. Stony Hill was incorporated on June 20, 1952.
The Players moved to Warren in 1970 when they leased the old Union Village Methodist Church on Mountain Ave., converting the annex into a 132-seat theater. The Players' first Warren production was "Cactus Flower," which debuted on April 5, l970.
Two major productions which usually ran for eight performances were offered each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The group's agreement with the church allowed it to use the old building as a playhouse in return for maintaining it. Although the Methodists had moved across the street to new quarters, they did not want to demolish the historic structure.
During its time in Warren, the amateur group put on musicals such as Kiss Me, Kate, Pippin and Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd. More serious productions included Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Dial M for Murder.
In the spring of 1981 the Warren Fire Department closed the theater in the middle of its run of Seven Keys to Baldpate, citing fire code violations. Emergency repairs kept the theater open for a time but within a few years the church building was sold and turned into a private residence, forcing the Stony Hill Players to new quarters in New Providence.
Since its inception, the group has performed in a number of venues in Warren, Berkley Heights, New Providence, Summit and Short Hills, the current being the Oakes Memorial Center at 120 Morris Ave. in Summit, New Jersey. Our theater is accessible to audiences from surrounding towns. Close proximity to Interstate Highways, trains and buses we draw from the wider Metro New York New Jersey area for our opera casts and audiences.
Our mission, as a theater group, are to produce a wide selection of staged productions including plays and musicals within our own resources but with a high degree of artistic ability; to promote and foster interest in all aspects of theater in our community including music and children's theater; to offer a learning opportunity to amateur actors, singers, and production staff in our community; and to reach as broad and diverse an audience as possible.
Stony Hill Players produces five shows every season: a youth production in the fall with our high school Pebble Players; one show in the winter for our youngest Pebble Players; a Cabaret Fundraiser evening in May that is a cocktail party followed by our Pebble Players performing in 22 different numbers; a college level production for ages 17-22 in the summer; and last, our Stony Hill Players Play for our adult actors in the late Summer/Fall.