By TOWNES COATES
This Bulletin edition was composed and off to the printer in the week between The Metropolitan Pipe Night (when The Players hosted male artists of the opera company) and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and U.S. entry into World War II. This ended a period in the club's history with a more public profile, notably between the wars when The Players would engage Broadway houses for short-run commerical revivals with both acting and offstage talent drawn from its membership roster.
It is also when those with firsthand memories of Mr. Booth and the founders were departing the scene. A new generation was carving out its own traditions and reminding members, as in this note from the House Committee, of the unique camaraderie the club provided. Even seventy-eight years ago, Players were talking about being part of “elegant old New York.”
Townes Coates is a producer and writer. He is Co-Chair of Membership at The Players. Drop him a line here.