DEKALB, ILL, March 9, 2022 – As a salute to the theatre’s 75^th year of entertainment, Stage Coach Players (SCP) will hold a celebration at the Barsema Alumni & Visitors Center of Northern Illinois University on Saturday, April 9, 2022.  The event is open to everyone who supports live theatre. 

Stage Coach Players has been a staple in the DeKalb County theatre community since producing its first play, Pure as the Driven Snow, in 1947 at the DeKalb Masonic Temple.  Since that production, hundreds of local community theatre thespians have performed on stage and worked behind the scenes and in many cases both.  Members have met spouses and best friends through their involvement in SCP.  

SCP, like many small theatres around the country, is a passion for many of its members.  The group has created an outlet for self-expression, artistic talent, collaborative spirit, and nurturing skills and has added to the social capital of the greater DeKalb community.  

Productions at the theatre include some of the most popular community theatre plays, such as Rumors, Arsenic & Old Lace, and The Crucible, a drama which will be featured this September.  However, SCP has also tapped into social commentary, like The Laramie Project, and it has reveled in the grandest of musicals, like Mary Poppins. 

SCP is not simply a theatre group.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, its members helped gather the community together to help in the following ways: collecting for various food pantries; gathering clothing for Humans for Hope; providing school supplies for area schools in addition to Lutheran World Relief Backpack Project; assembling supplies for local animal shelters; collecting toys for the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots; and accumulating personal items for Safe Passage. 

The 75^th Gala will be held at The Barsema Alumni & Visitors Center which is located at 231 N. Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb.  Tickets are $30 per person and reservations are required by March 31, 2022.  The gala begins at 6:30 with a cash bar and a buffet dinner.  Live music will be provided by Black Tie Jazz Trio.