Ten years ago, live theater in the Mountaintop communities of the Hunter area was scarce. The only live music heard was in the bars during ski season and at the Hunter Mountain Festivals. One person had the vision, the energy and the training to put together and lead a group of local residents, forming a theater group that is still flourishing and expanding today. That person is Linda Nicholls. Along with Carol Tenerowicz, Sonia Hairabedian, Kathy Pezak Christopher and Betty Jaeckel, Pam Oppen and others, the Greene Room Players was created.



"It was decided that we would concentrate on musicals at the beginning," Nicholls explained. We met in each other's houses to structure the organization and figure out how we were going to produce quality theater using local talent without falling on our face. We had grandiose plans and laughed a lot in order to cover our nervousness. We needed to draft our friends to form the casts, build the sets, do the sound and lighting, orchestra, make-up, costumes, publicity, ticket sales and, of course, fund raising."



The community generously supported the fledgling troupe as 75 cast members graced the stage to perform Mame in the fall of 1992, to thunderous applause and standing ovations. Fiddler on the Roof, Anything Goes, Damn Yankees, Nunsense, Annie, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Fantasticks, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Arsenic and Old Lace and The Wizard of Oz followed, delighting the sold-out audiences.



All of the productions were "homemade," drawing on local talent for actors and technicians. Over the years, membership in the Greene Room Players has expanded to include children as well as adults. In 1999, an original children's musical production entitled Kids was performed under the direction of local talent, Michael Berkeley. The production went on to play throughout the Northeast.



In 2000, "The Fairy Tale Theatre" was established to perform some of the most popular fairy tales with a great deal of audience participation and laughter. A children's theater group was formed that year, presenting Wash Your Troubles Away. As if Linda didn't have enough to do, she also formed a show choir that went on to perform Made in the USA, a celebration of Greene County's Bicentennial. Each year a holiday show is performed around the Christmas/Hanukah season.



The Greene Room Players Media Project was started in 2000 as well. Under the direction of Barry Kerr, the project is working with area middle and high schools in order to establish filmmaking courses using video in the school systems. The third annual Reel Teens USA Festival is being planned for June of 2003. The festival invites teens from across America to submit films and videos they have created to complete for prizes in several categories. Last year, 240 entries were received. This year, Reel Teens USA will be presented at several film festivals in other cities as well.



The media project has enlisted local filmmakers to create videos that document the history of each town in Greene County. Working with local historians, these videos will be given to schools, libraries and historical societies and will also be available for purchase.



Last year, through the generosity of the Slutzky family, the Greene Room Players was given the use of the former Expansion Building on Main Street in the Village of Hunter as its home. Slowly but surely, volunteers have helped to transform the interior of the building into a center for the arts. In addition to office space for the Greene Room Players, the first floor now houses The Little Bird Gallery under the curatorial eye of Carol Tenerowicz. Several very successful exhibitions have already been held there and more are planned. The Reel Teens video editing room is in full operation, providing space for teens to create movies on their own, and in conjunction with high school programs. The Dancing Bear Theater, a 75-seat performance, rehearsal and workshop space is near completion and should be in full operation by the first of the year.



"I would like to thank the community for its support over these 10 years," said Nicholls. "We couldn't have done all this without them. In 2003 we plan to offer a full season of plays, staged readings, stand-up comedy, lectures, workshops, poetry, music and films for both adults and children in our new space. It's so good to have our own home!"



For more information about the Greene Room Players, please call them at 518 263 4233 or email them at grplayers@aol.com.