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Cumberland Players, formerly the Little Theatre of Vineland,
originated in February 1946 as an offshoot of the Vineland Community
Arts Group. Of the six sub-divisions, only the theatre group flourished.
In June 1946, the group presented a program of three one-act plays to an
invited audience as the Reber School. Their efforts were so well
received that the thespians immediately set about establishing a
full-fledged community theater in South Vineland.
In October 1946, The Little Theatre of Vineland was chartered with a
dedicated membership of fourteen people. The first major production, a
domestic comedy entitled Ring Around Elizabeth, was presented at
the Vineland Methodist Church, and began the painstaking process of
converting the small church into a much larger building every weekend for two
years. Finally, in November 1953, the theatre was formally opened with
one of The Little Theatre’s most acclaimed productions, Come Back
Little Sheba.
Over the next three decades, The Little Theatre continued to produced
comedies and dramas at the Sherman Avenue site – usually three major
productions per season. The group also sponsored children’s plays and
teenage workshops. In 1977, the group’s name was officially changed
Cumberland Players in an attempt to draw members from beyond the
Vineland area. In 1982, a new tradition was born when Cumberland Players
presented its first annual summer musical, The Music Man.
Subsequent, musical hits such as Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady,
The King and I, and Camelot won popular and critical acclaim
and brought the theatre a wider audience in the 1980s and 1990s.
True to our roots, we remain a group made up entirely of volunteers
who are amateurs in the true sense of the word. We produce shows only
for the love of theatre and the desire to share our talents with the
community. And we continue to offer opportunities for grassroots
participation among young and old theatre lovers; dedication, proven
over half a century, to enriching the cultural life in our area; and the
spirit of volunteerism and the love for theatre and community service.
Cumberland
Players is a member of the New Jersey Theatre League and the South Jersey
Cultural Alliance
 List
of productions (1946-2007)
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