Surfside History

SURFSIDE PLAYHOUSE
A Little History

• In April of 1959, a dynamic and excited group of erstwhile Thespians presented its plans for a live theatre in Brevard County. They called themselves The Surfside Players of Cocoa Beach. The Players began implementing its plans, approved by city officials, civic groups and local residents.
• In May, 1959, their first production, The Moon is Blue was presented at the Cocoa Beach Fire House. In following years, the Players staged their shows at the fire house, in churches & motels, and even on the beach!
• On January 6, 1963, ground was broken for Surfside Playhouse at the corner of Fifth Street South and Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach. In April of 1963, the dream came true with the official opening of Surfside Playhouse.
• The theatre seats an audience of 269, is fully air-conditioned and offers special equipment for the hearing-impaired.
• The annual programs feature a variety of high quality performances ranging from light-hearted comedy to lilting musicals to riveting dramas.
• Several weekends during the year are available for special theatrical performances, which may be proposed to the Board of Governors.  Usually these require very minimal tech and scenery, and rehearsals are conducted at a different location than the playhouse.
• A children's theatre group was officially formed in 1979 and has continued with the current class, known as the Surfside Youth Players. Graduates of SYP and other teenagers have  been able to continue the theatre experience with the Outreach Players, launched in 1998.
• Educational programs include workshops in such areas as Stagecraft, Costuming, Play Writing, Audition Techniques, and specific performance skills. Surfside Players has also supported junior & senior high school productions.
• The annual Playwriting Contest was founded in 2001 to offer local Brevard County playwrights an opportunity to present original full-length plays on Surfside's stage with talented actors and staff.
• Our playhouse currently hosts three productions per season by the Playwrights Workshop of Brevard, a troupe dedicated to helping new and established local playwrights improve their craft through feedback with Workshop members as well as a live audience.  Each production normally debuts three new one-act plays.
• Our newest performing venture is the Fearless Improv Brigade, with classes in improvisational comedy taught semesterly by Mario Busacca since 2013.  The thrill of brand-new theatrical stories, devised on the spot, is yours to experience from a seat in the house, OR standing on stage...
• A snack bar in the brightly decorated lobby serves as a source of revenue for the non-profit, 501(c)3 organization.  The Players have also sponsored Jazz Festivals, Golf Tournaments, Barber Shop Quartets, special by-invitation performances for charity, surfing movies, celebrity auctions and yard sales as fund raisers.  Additional support comes from matching grants and corporate & personal donations, assuring the facility of continued maintenance and upgrades.
• Surfside Players extends a warm welcome to aspiring thespians, seasoned performers, and to anyone with a love for the Theatre.

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For more information call (321) 783-3127, or contact our Operations Director.

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MISSION STATEMENT:

Surfside Players is a community theatre dedicated to the performing arts through productions, presentations, education and outreach.

SURFSIDE PLAYERS, INC. IS A 501 (c)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SPONSORED IN PART BY:  The Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, Brevard Business News, The Margaret Heins Foundation, and the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners through the Brevard Cultural Alliance.