Good Company Players (GCP) is an amateur

dinner theatre Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. "Dinner and a show" can also refer to a restaurant meal in combination with live concert music, where pat ...

in Fresno,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It consists of Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater, which primarily stages musicals, and the 2nd Space Theatre, which primarily produces

straight play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between characters and intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, fr ...

s. Between the two theaters, GCP mounts 12 shows a year; it has produced over 450 productions since it was founded. Notable alumni include

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

Heidi Blickenstaff Heidi Blickenstaff (born December 28, 1971) is an American actress based in New York City best known for playing a version of herself in the musical '' itle of show' during its Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, as well as for originating the role ...

and

Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...

History

GCP organized as a company and dinner theatre in 1973. Its charter executive board consisted of Dan Pessano, Chris Moad, Cathy Glenn, Ron Harlan and Steven Pilibos.^:322 The company's first production was Stephen Sondheim's ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...

,'' which opened on June 26, 1973 at Fresno's

Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

. In 1976 they moved to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, where they staged ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

''. This was followed by productions at the Del Webb Towne House from 1977–1978.

Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater

In 1978 the company moved into a permanent location in a vacant

Sprouse-Reitz Sprouse-Reitz is a defunct chain of five-and-dime stores based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The Sprouse-Reitz Company was founded in 1909 in Tacoma, Washington. At its peak it had more than 470 stores in eleven states in the Western United ...

store in Fresno's Tower District on the corner of Olive Ave. and Wishon Ave. There they opened what was known as "Roger Rocka's Good Company Music Hall, Eating Establishment and Drinking Emporium" with a production of ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

''. The name was eventually shortened to "Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater, the home of Good Company Players."

Junior Company

In 1978 Good Company Players established the Junior Company, a group of up to twenty young people (aged between eight and sixteen) who perform a short musical cabaret before the main performance. Junior Company

alumna Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

has stated,

"... we kids would do cabarets before each
how How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...
things like
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...
songs. I was singing '
White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...
' at ten. Before I was out of my teens, I'd basically absorbed the
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
songbook."Cheng, Kipp. "Someone lovely this way comes", in ''American Theatre'', Vol. 15, Iss. 6, (Jul/Aug 1998): 26-27.

Unlike Good Company Players, which is a for-profit business, the Junior Company is "a separate

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

entity that works with the program to train children in the specifics of performing arts, including acting, singing, and dance."^:46

2nd Space Theatre

On July 16, 1982, GCP opened 2nd Space Theatre at 928 E. Olive, a 150-seat black box theater "intended to allow GCP to mount less commercial comedies and dramas in a smaller setting."

Legacy

George Radanovich George Purdy Radanovich (born June 20, 1955) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2011. The district includes most of northern Fresno, as well as several rural areas northeast of the city. He did no ...

, the

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

for

California's 19th congressional district California's 19th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, currently represented by . The district covers much of Santa Clara County, including most of the city of San Jose. Following redistricting i ...

, paid tribute to GCP In 1997 on the floor of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. He referred to the theater as "Fresno's gateway to Broadway", and "the centerpiece in Fresno's Tower District". Additionally, he stated that it has "launched many of Fresno's residents into television, technical, and choreographic careers."^:785 Former alumni of the company have acknowledged the role it played in the personal, professional and artistic formation. It is best known internationally as the location where multiple

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-winner Audra McDonald first started performing. McDonald has described performing at GCP as "an incredible education":

My entire theatrical foundation was built there. Everything I know about theater, I first learned there. I honed it, maybe, as the years went on, but it was all learned at the Good Company Players.

Other notable alumni include

Duane Boutte Duane Boutté (born March 5, 1966) is an American actor, director, and composer known in film for his portrayal of "Bostonia" in Nigel Finch, Nigel Finch's Stonewall (1995 film), ''Stonewall'' (1995), and as young "Bruce Nugent" in Rodney Evans' B ...

, Todd Decker, Christopher Gorham,

Sharon Leal Sharon Ann Leal is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''Dreamgirls'', '' This Christmas'', '' Why Did I Get Married?'', ''Why Did I Get Married Too?'' and her roles on the television shows '' Legacy'', '' ...

Katrina Elayne Steward Katrina Elayne Steward (born October 26, 1979) is an American choreographer, dancer, singer and actress. She was the 2005–2006 Miss Black Arkansas USA in the Miss Black USA Pageant. Steward is a community activist, with a focus on Celebrating ...

Sarah Uriarte Berry Sarah Uriarte Berry is an American actress and singer. Career Berry is a native of California and graduated from UCLA in 1992. She made her Broadway debut as Eponine in ''Les Misérables'' in 1993.Robert Westenberg Robert Westenberg (born October 26, 1953) is an American stage actor, acting teacher and professor. He appeared on Broadway in ''Sunday in the Park with George'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Into the Woods'', and ''The Secret Garden'', as well as sev ...

, and Michael Willett.{{Cite web, title=GCP Alumni, url=https://gcplayers.com/category/gcp-alumni/, access-date=2021-02-11, website=Good Company Players, language=en-US^:785

References

Dinner theatre Culture of Fresno, California Fresno, California Performing arts in California