The Story of Players Players

Players Players started in Hamilton in early 2002, when six McMaster University students created The Red Hill Valley Expressed, a play that was collectively created and performed at McMaster’s Original Works festival, where it won an award for best script and a reading at Theatre Aquarius. When the inaugural Hamilton Fringe Festival asked for submissions in 2003, the same six students met and reworked the show into its final form, which was one of the hits of the fringe.  The Red Hill Valley Expressed was a group of scenes about the controversial construction of an expressway through Hamilton’s largest park, the Red Hill Valley. The show tried to look at both sides of the issue fairly, using biting satire and a song and dance finale. View Magazine recommended that “anyone who calls themselves a Hamiltonian should see this show.” The next year the remaining members of Players Players, Krista MacIsaac, Melissa Paraboo, David Barclay and Darren Barlow, created a parody of the rich and famous entitled Celebrititis, which ran at the second Hamilton Fringe to more success. This year the view described Players Players as “four intelligent and beautiful bright lights of the Hamilton indie theatre scene”

In 2005 Players Players premiered DOGS! The Musical!! at the London Fringe festival to great reviews and much applause.  In the same year DOGS! was performed independently in Hamilton despite the cancellation of the Hamilton Fringe Festival.  View Magazine described the show as “witty, irreverent, and subversive entertainment.” 

          Players Players is committed to developing plays with a variety of techniques. The collective will often develop scenes together using improvisation techniques, and also write independently. Each member takes an equal part in writing, editing, directing and performing the show. The Players are also using more and more musical numbers in each show, incorporating brilliant scores composed by Darren Barlow.  Krista MacIsaac also uses her experience as a dancer to choreograph the musical numbers.  Players Players is committed to developing the group’s unique chemistry and sense of humour and creating funny and original professional shows.