Theatre for Community Wellness

Promoting Community Health and Wellbeing Through the Performing Arts in SWFL for All Ages

At the foundation of The Naples Players lies community. We are dedicated to enriching Naples and greater Southwest Florida through artistic experiences that provide health and wellness benefits to the community. Serving many local organizations and partners through our Wellness and Outreach programs, we have witnessed the power of the performing arts and the personal, social, and cultural benefits they promote. From interactive storytelling in memory care facilities to promote cognitive stimulation to transition programs for high school students that use improv to develop communication skills – we serve a wide variety of people in our community, making the theatrical arts accessible to all.

Our team of trained applied theatre artists masterfully customize each class for the ages and needs of the participants so that each workshop is tailored specifically for your organization. Classes are taught both in person at our facility or yours as well as online and are generally taught in an agreed-upon session length and schedule that works best for us and you.

We also offer vocational training for your organizations to further develop professional and soft skill development. This opportunity can provide students with hands-on execution in the technical and physical aspects of theatre: lights, sound, costumes, sets, props, stage management, ushering, janitorial, etc. as well as build confidence in skills related to the workforce.

If your business, school, or organization is interested in hosting one of our Wellness and Outreach classes, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Be sure to check out our Inclusive Classes we offer at The Naples Players as part of our seasonal Education Programming !



Quick Contacts:

Outreach & Special Programs

Craig Price
Director of Community Education & Wellness
(239) 434-7340, ext. 103
cprice@naplesplayers.org

Summer Pliskow
Education Programs Coordinator
(239) 434-7340, ext. 103
spliskow@naplesplayers.org

Recent Projects in the Community

In collaboration with The Alzheimer’s Support Network and Cross Align Media, The Naples Players facilitated an eight week long film project in which members of the Alzheimer’s Support Network living with cognitive impairment engaged in artistic exercises and creative activities, learning to express themselves and tell their stories in new ways. Together, they devised a collaborative group poem entitled These Hands Have. The inspiration for this piece came from each and every member and the stories of their lives, all the places their hands have been and all the things they have done. The whole poem is a verbatim collaboration of words spoken during our sessions.

This collaboration allowed individuals with brain change to connect through storytelling and the arts, promoting personal and social wellbeing through cognitive stimulation and the development of agency and autonomy. These sessions were filmed and audio recorded to create a visual representation of their poem. The film was created in collaboration with Cross Align Media.

Program Partners

These are some of our proud community partners that we serve with Wellness Outreach programs and classes:

ABLE Academy
All Seasons Naples
Alzheimer’s Association of SWFL
Alzheimer’s Support Network of Naples
Avow Kids
Boys & Girls Clubs of Collier County
Children’s Museum of Naples
Collier County Public Schools
Cypress Cove Senior Care
David Lawrence Center
First Presbyterian Church of Naples
FGCU, Community Autism Network
Friends of Foster Children
Golisano Children’s Hospital of SWFL
Grace Place for Children and Families
Home School Groups of Collier County
Immokalee High School
Lorenzo’s House
Memory Treatment Centers of Bonita Springs
My Autism Connection (MAC)
Naples Senior Center
Naples Therapeutic Riding Center
Pace Center for Girls
Parkinson’s Association of SWFL
Project S.E.A.R.C.H
River Park Community Center
STARability Foundation
Terraces of Bonita Springs
The Arlington & My Tapestry Memory Care
The L.I.F.E Program
UAC-United Arts Council
Valerie’s House
Youth Haven



Our Programs in the Spotlight



MAKING LOCAL HEADLINES



Participate in a Partner Program

Learn more about StarAbility’s Weekly Improv & Musical Theatre Workshops

Diversity, equity, and inclusion take center stage

A recent article by Robin F. DeMattia for Blue Zones Project-Southwest Florida

“Our mission is inspiring our community and defining our culture,” said Craig Price, director of community education and wellness. “We make sure that every aspect of theater – singing, dancing, acting, improv, and volunteering – is available to everyone.”

To reach children with special needs or current life challenges, the Naples Players partners with organizations such as NCH Healthcare System, Collier County Public Schools, STARability, Grace Place Kids and Avow Kids.

These programs have continued online during the pandemic and are starting to open back up for in-person sessions.

During the “Improv for Communication Skills” class, for example, high school students in the school district’s transition program, who have intellectual disabilities, learn skills to help them plan for post-school work or studies when they age out of the program at 22.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE