Five years, 14 plays, 43 actors, eight directors, four assistant directors — Happy 5th Birthday to the 2nd Act Players!!! If you haven’t donated to our 5th birthday fundraiser yet, you can do so by simply clicking here.
It’s been an amazing five years. We started with a simple idea. In 2012, after he had a near-fatal brush with heart disease, founder John Frank wanted to tell a story.
He’d always thought about writing plays, particularly about his extended Italian-American family. Heart surgery made it very clear to him it was time to start writing. The result was his first play, New Year’s Eve at Grandma’s House which premiered April 13, 2013.
From that grew the 2nd Act Players, a theater dedicated to telling stories about 2nd acts in people’s lives and to showcasing new talent for the stage.
We have certainly done all that in the past five years, showcasing 14 scripts from emerging playwrights, featuring 43 different actors (several have been in multiple shows), and eight directors, including Frank himself who has transitioned from acting to directing, as well as producing, selling ads, and generally keeping the lights on with his wife and cofounder Carolyn Calzavara Frank and in recent years with his daughter Jenny Frank as well.
“I’ve gotten too old to play my younger self in the plays I write,” Frank jokes.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the 2nd Act Players. If you don’t see yourself thanked in this 5th birthday video, we thank you here.
And we invite you to keep the 2nd Act Players alive by coming to see our shows and by donating to make our shows possible. Ticket proceeds cover only roughly 60% of our annual costs.
We began paying our actors small stipends last year and want to pay them more this year. So please help, just click here to say “Happy Birthday” to the 2nd Act Players!!!
And come see our #MeToo Play Festival May 19-20 or May 26-27, tickers are on sale now, click here.