Bay County Building
515 Center Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48708-5941

Bay County Commissioners honor Bay City Players, Inc.

Announcement

During the February 14th Board of Commissioners monthly meeting, the Board Chairman, Thomas Herek, honored the Bay City Players, Inc. for their contributions to Bay County for the past one hundred years.

The organization known as the Bay City Players, Inc., founded by Mrs. J.D. Grinnell of Bay City in 1917, is the oldest continuously operating community theatre in the State of Michigan. Bay City Players has enhanced its reputation beyond our community as an active member of Community Theatre Association of Michigan and American Association of Community Theatres. Bay City Players in believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating community theatres in the United States services the public for the past one hundred years.

The Bay City Players invested its future in the Bay County area by purchasing the former Pines Theatre in 1954, and, up to the present time, has invested over one and a half million dollars in improving the facility in order to provide for the comfort and safety of patrons and participants, while enhancing productions and making this community theatre one of the leading proponents for arts and culture in the Great Lakes Bay Area.

Over ninety-five percent of actors, directors, technical crews responsible for lighting, sound, makeup, costuming, and building scenery, as well as front-of-house operations such as box office, lobby operations, and ushering are volunteer residents of the Bay County Area. Bay City Players has continued to enhance its services to the community with two programs serving area youth (Youtheatre and Stages of Discovery) accommodating over one hundred and fifty area students yearly and a dynamic readers’ theatre program (Recyclables) performed by senior citizens taking their productions into the community free-of-charge.

We residents of Bay County are indeed fortunate to have so many dedicated artists and workers giving generously of time and talents in order to enhance the quality of life in Bay County. Therefore, be it that this Bay County Board of Commissioners and Bay County Executive write into Bay County’s records hearty congratulations and a standing ovation for this outstanding community theatre group known as Bay City Players, Inc. for its contributions to Bay County residents over the past one hundred years.