Open Call: Second Street Players looks forward to season back on Riverfront Theater stage

Correction: Riverfront Theater is located in Milford. An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the theater's location in a headline.

Second Street Players (SSP) is back on stage.

After an almost entirely dark theater last year, we welcomed back performances for the holidays in 2020, both in person and streamed for online audiences. 

While this was new technology territory for us, we remain grateful to our dedicated volunteers who helped us implement all the necessary COVID courtesies in our theater and to launch our shows online for a safe viewing experience.

Without these tireless volunteers, we could never have endured the loss of revenue that 2020-21 brought to our doors. Like other cultural and artistic venues in the region, the loss of revenue made it difficult to pay the bills and keep the spotlights on.  But, thanks to our team, support from the Delaware Division of the Arts and various federal programs supporting businesses, we are still standing — and the stage lights are on brighter than ever! 

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Second Street Players is a year-round community theater which produces shows covering practically every genre. Included in our yearly productions, you will find musicals, dramas, comedies, original works, our children’s theater, movies and cooperative productions with other cultural groups and schools.

SSP is thrilled to look ahead to a full season of live performances in 2022. The board has selected a sensational and varied season, which includes the musical "Oliver!,'' originally planned for 2021, as well as a madcap comedy, a murder mystery, a whimsical play, and a new twist on a holiday classic. The season also includes three children’s theater shows.

Our offerings for our 2022 season are as follows:

Main Stage shows:

"Bermuda Avenue Triangle,'' Jan. 28 to 30 and Feb. 4 to 6

"Murder on the Orient Express,'' Apr. 15 to 17 and 22 to 24

"Oliver!,'' July 8 to 10, and 15 to 17, and 22 to 24.

"Peter and the Starcatcher,'' Sept. 9, 10, 11 and 16, 17, 18.

"The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge,'' Nov. 25 to 27 and Dec. 2 to 4

Children’s Theater shows:

"Bedtime Stories (As Told By Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up),'' Feb. 25 to 27

"Sally Cotter and the Quest We Follow,'' May 13 to 15

"The Big Bad Musical,'' Oct. 7 to 9

Additionally, SSP kicked off its Movies at Riverfront Theater series again this summer with "Mr. Moribund’s Theater of Terror.''  It is a live show in the style of the classic horror host television shows of the '60s and '70s, hosted by Mr. Moribund (W.J. Walton) and a cast of creeps! 

Mr. Moribund and his creeps will return Oct 22 and 23 for another live show (movie TBA).  Movies are always $5 at the door and SSP hopes to bring our monthly movie series back the theater soon.

As COVID-19 continues to change the landscape for live theater and productions, SSP plans to change along with it, making accommodations as we need to ensure we can keep the doors open to our patrons. The hardest part for now is keeping up with all the recommendations and making decisions on how best to provide for a safe experience for everyone in our theater.

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Our purpose is to provide enriching and affordable live theater for our community and to give members of that community an outlet for their creative abilities.  We serve as a vehicle for education and understanding of the performing arts to make Milford a better place to live, work and play. 

We do all this at the Riverfront Theater located at 2 South Walnut St. on the south bank of the Mispillion River in scenic historic, downtown Milford, Delaware. The theater is handicapped accessible and can accommodate the hearing impaired. More information about SSP can be found online at www.secondstreetplayers.com.

SSP programs are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events online at www.DelawareScene.com

SaraKate Hammer is on the board of the Second Street Players in Milford, Delaware.