About Us

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the company built a loyal following while juggling performances in borrowed spaces. Sold-out audiences, rising production quality, and their newly developing youth education efforts pushed the organization toward stability. By the mid-1960s, continued interest and growth made clear that The Naples Players needed a permanent home.

In 1975, after years of makeshift venues, TNP opened its first official playhouse at 2363 Davis Boulevard—a modest 40-seat building that finally provided a reliable base for rehearsals, classes, and productions. This new home sparked momentum. Membership grew, programming expanded, and volunteer involvement deepened. Productions like The Taming of the Shrew and Peter Pan defined this era, even as the small space limited long-term growth.

As audiences increased, TNP quickly outgrew the Davis Boulevard playhouse. In 1984 the company leased the former Kon-Tiki Theater on Goodlette Road and US-41, undertaking extensive renovations and reopening in 1985 with Guys & Dolls. The hope was for a long future there, but the aging building presented mounting structural issues and costly repairs. By the early 1990s, The Naples Players again faced the need to find a new permanent home. At the same time, 5th Avenue South was struggling with vacant storefronts and little foot traffic, making it a risky but intriguing option.

In 1995, visionary donors including Frances Pew Hayes, Peg and Herb Sugden, Lois and Dick Blackburn, and Jay and Patty Baker helped TNP launch a capital campaign to build a new theater on 5th Avenue South. Three years later, in 1998, The Naples Players opened the Sugden Community Theatre, a landmark moment in the cultural life of downtown Naples.
The move transformed both TNP and 5th Avenue. Year-round seasons, expanded education programs, and growing class schedules followed. By 2003, the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary, firmly established as a cultural anchor in Collier County.

The next decade brought bold musicals, inventive dramas, and vibrant comedies that solidified TNP’s reputation for high-quality, community-driven theatre. Education programs grew to serve students as young as four, nurturing talent that would go on to Broadway and beyond.
TNP also broadened its role in the community, forging partnerships to bring theatre-based wellness programs to individuals facing disabilities and health challenges. Scholarships grew, outreach programs expanded, and the company’s influence reached far beyond the stage.

When COVID-19 shut down theaters worldwide, TNP refused to stand still. With all indoor performances canceled and $1.6 million in anticipated revenue lost, the organization pivoted quickly. The costume shop produced more than 750 masks for local hospitals and built intubation boxes for medical workers. Volunteers and staff created virtual summer camps, outdoor performances, and online productions—including one of the nation’s first fully virtual theatrical premieres, Becky’s New Car, in May 2020.
This adaptability and commitment kept the arts alive when the community needed them most.

Despite the pandemic, TNP’s programs expanded dramatically:

• Sold-out performances increased by more than 200%
• Enrollment in education programs grew by 35%
• Over 120 students joined inclusive theatre programs within two years
• Nearly 50% of youth participants received financial assistance

These numbers underscored a growing community and a rising demand for accessible arts opportunities.

By 2022, performances were routinely selling out and the building could no longer support the scale of TNP’s productions or programs. In response, the organization launched a $22 million renovation of its 5th Avenue home.
Breaking ground in 2023, the project involved an all-local team of contractors and designers led by community partners. The reopening in summer 2024 introduced:

• The new 450-seat Kizzie Theater
• The Price Studio Theatre
• The Glass Educational Theater
• Five classrooms and rehearsal studios
• A cutting-edge Sensory Viewing Room

These upgrades expanded access for performers, students, families, and patrons across Southwest Florida.

In 2025, The Naples Players launched one of the most significant efforts in its history: the Baker Day School, Southwest Florida’s first full-time performing arts middle and high school. Built on the belief that arts training strengthens focus, confidence, compassion, and communication, the Baker Day School blends rigorous academics with daily instruction in acting, movement, voice, design, and technical theatre.

The school grew out of TNP’s long-standing commitment to education and its success in serving thousands of students through year-round classes, camps, and inclusive programs. Families sought deeper, more personalized learning environments, and TNP responded with a model where academic excellence and artistic growth reinforce one another. Supported by a generous community and visionary partners, the Baker Day School opened with small class sizes, specialized faculty, and a commitment to financial accessibility.

Today, The Naples Players stands as one of the top community theatres in the nation and a model for how local arts organizations can transform their communities. With nationally recognized programs, award-winning productions, and a mission of building community through exceptional access to the power of theatre, TNP is poised to influence not only Naples, but the field of community theatre at large.
By growing its educational offerings, expanding arts-access partnerships, and continuing to produce theatre of professional quality, TNP proves year after year that live performance is not just entertainment. It is a catalyst for connection, creativity, and community transformation.