Colonel Town Players Of Lancaster, Inc

Over 50 Years of Amazing Community Theater 

Since 1972 The Colonel Town Players of Lancaster have been delivering amazing community theater to New Hampshire's North Country. From plays to musicals and most recently, youth productions, we offer live entertainment for audiences of all ages...but we can't do what we do with YOU!

Producing theater is an expensive endeavor--licensing, costumes, musicians, lights, set design and construction, and modest stipends for our production staff all add up very quickly. We rely on our small community to support us in a number of ways. We actively seek show and season sponsorships from local businesses, apply for grants, and of course, fund part of what we do through ticket sales. New Hampshire Gives provides another avenue for funding that helps ensure that we can continue bringing our passion for theater to Lancaster and the surrounding North Country communities. 

Highlights from our 52nd Season

• We dove into the depths of Bikini Bottom to bring The SpongeBob Musical to life.
• Witty oneliners from everyone's favorite donkey were paired with the devilishly delightful musical prowess of a certain dragon in this season's youth production, Shrek JR.
• Our own Meghan Hakey and Jake Colby were named as finalists in this winter's New Hampshire Theatre Awards in the category of sound design for their outstanding work in The Play That Goes Wrong. 
• Taking to the stage at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards were Baylee Fuentes, Stephanie Cameron, and Nathan Gair who peformed a hilarious scene from last winter's hit musical, Disaster!
• We partnered with White Mountains Regional High School to ensure season 52 became a reality after losing our longtime home at the Lancaster Town Hall.

Season 53

We are just weeks away from announcing our titles for our 53rd season. One of our time-honored traditions includes hearing show proposals from our community and those interested in being part of our directing team. We'll meet on June 28 to hear proposals and determine our season line up. While locations for our productions remain fluid due to ongoing work at the Lancaster Town Hall, we're hopeful to continue our newly established partnership with White Mountains Regional High School until we're able to find a home of our own.

In the meantime, we'd love for you to save the date for our season 52 closer, Hands on a Hardbody. This Tony-nominated Broadway musical is inspired by true events captured in S.R. Bindler’s 1997 documentary. It tells the story of an endurance competition at a Nissan dealership in Longview, Texas, where ten cash-strapped contestants vie to win a brand-new "hardbody" pickup truck. The rule is simple: the person who can keep at least one hand on the truck the longest wins it. Adding a bit of authenticity to the production will be the performance venue--The Lancaster Fairgrounds. We're excited to share that their grandstand will become our stage. So mark your calendars for September 11-13 and September 18-20. You won't want to miss it!

Ongoing Challenges

We continue to face uncertainty around what our future looks like without a space to call our own. When we learned that we would no longer be welcome at the Lancaster Town Hall due to aging infrastructure and planned building work, it meant losing the space we had come to call home for nearly 50 years. Decades of equipment, props, and set pieces all had to be moved and we were on the hunt for storage and performance space. 

Thanks to the support of White Mountains Regional High School, we were able to perform both The SpongeBob Musical and Shrek JR. in their state-of-the-art auditorium and build connections with students and staff alike. However, we are now paying monthly fees to store much of our equipment and theater, as it is, is already an expensive endeavor. We rely heavily on donations and sponsorships from our community in order to maintain our seasons and initiatives like NH Gives really go a long way in making our own dreams of producing live theater a reality.

During these uncertain times, we cannot thank our community enough for their continued generosity. Live theater shines a lot on and through so many of us and we hope to be sharing that light well into the future thanks to the thoughtfulness and kindness of our community partners.

Theater Builds Community & Community Builds Theater 

Thank You For Supporting Live Theater in New Hampshire's North Country