To the Editor:

Whenever I hear about how much Newtown needs some sort of cultural arts center, I don't disagree – however, I would like to remind Newtown residents that we have our very own community theater which has been in existence for nearly 80 years.

Town Players' Little Theatre is located at 18 Orchard Hill Road. Our all-volunteer crew puts on four, sometimes five, productions per year. Comedy and drama, both of a contemporary and historical nature, grace our stage every season. We shy away from musicals only because of the space limitations of our intimate setting. Many of our volunteers are from Newtown, but a good number come from surrounding towns. All are welcome! If you're interested in becoming involved, you have only to let us know.

Not only do we exist as a place for people to learn about and participate in live theater, we also do our part for the community by donating tickets to other local non-profit organizations' fundraisers and offering benefit performance opportunities for groups who wish to raise money for their organizations.

I cannot tell you how often I hear someone say, “I didn't know Newtown had a theater!” I'm not sure how that can be, as local media – including the Bee – run our publicity and faithfully review our shows. We are members of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce. We put up posters at local businesses advertising our performances and promote them on Newtown Patch and other local websites. We have our own website (www.newtownplayers.org), a Facebook page (Town Players of Newtown), and at our website, you can sign up for our free e-newsletter that provides all of the information on what we are up to at any given time.

We do our best to keep ticket costs low, especially in these tough economic times. We'd like to thank our sponsors for their generosity, as well as those patrons who come back time and again to support us and enjoy what we have to offer.

No, we are not a professional theater, but one of the community, for the community. We do what we do not for monetary gain, but because we love it and want to share that passion with others.

People who come to our shows always say they are glad they did. Won't you be one of them? Our next production opens in September. Please visit our website or email info@newtownplayers.org for more information.

See you at the show!

Pam Meister Jones

Chairman

Town Players of Newtown

11 Park Lane, Newtown August 10, 2013