In 1971, a Central Michigan University sophomore, Craig Slaight, was home from school for the summer. He called up a few friends to ask if they thought a small community like Cedar Springs might support some sort of summer theater. The Kent Theatre had previously been converted from a live theatre to a movie house, but Craig got permission from the owners to put on a stage show. He borrowed $75 from his parents, adapted a script from Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology”, and gave the Kent Theatre its first live show since the 1920’s.
The “acting area” for that initial show was just the small apron in front of the movie screen, and the dressing rooms were the coal bin and area behind the furnace. The props and costumes might have been homemade with the benches borrowed from a local furniture store; nevertheless Cedar Springs Community Theater was born in a two night run on August 17 and 18, 1971.
Early in 1972, a core group of theater advocates met at the Kent Theatre and drew up the first Constitution and By-laws, chose the name Cedar Springs Community Players, and elected Craig Slaight as the first President. In 1976, with over 40 members, The Players incorporated as a non-profit group.
The Cedar Springs Community Players have continued to present live theater to the local community ever since. Hundreds of volunteers have taken tickets, built sets, applied makeup, run props, cued lights and sounds, and graced the stages over the decades. In fact, several local families can lay claim to three generations of Players membership. And we look forward to continuing this fine tradition for many years to come. Come join us on our continuing journey.
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