Manatee Players

The Manatee Players is a live theater group based in Bradenton, just north of Sarasota.  The group performs at the Riverfront Theater, on 12^th Street in Bradenton.  In addition to outstanding actors, who are frequently found through auditions by local residents, the group has a tradition of featuring live musicians to accompany its performances.

Recent and upcoming shows staged by the Manatee Players include "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Big River," "I Love You, You´re Perfect, Now Change," and "A Chorus Line."  Performances are held Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., as well as during a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.

The Box office is open Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The contact telephone number for the box office is (941) 748-5875.  Ticket prices are $23.00 for adults and $11.00 for students.

The Manatee Players is currently awaiting completion of the New Manatee Players Performing Arts Center.  This updated facility will provide increased space and upgraded amenities, and will feature the Mainstage Theater, with a traditional horseshoe design and three levels of seating-Orchestra and First and Second Parterres.  The Mainstage Theater will be able to accommodate approximately 300, and will include an Orchestra Pit with a cover.

The theater stage will have new lighting, sound, and rigging systems, with the ability for draperies and sets to be flown out of sight thanks to a fifty-foot height.  The stage also will be wider and deeper than the current stage.  Adjacent to the stage will be a two-story Stage Storage and Scenery Shop, in which sets can be constructed on-site to be moved directly onto the stage, and a Storage Loft with long-term storage space for sets and props.

The new theater will provide performer support, with a Green Room and two fully-equipped, handicapped-accessible dressing rooms and shower facilities, as well as technical support, with two lighting catwalks and fully-equipped technical books at the upper rear of the theater to accommodate the Stage Manager and Lighting and Sound technicians.

The Manatee Players offers a number of educational opportunities for aspiring actors of all ages.  A Youth Theater Training Program gives young people the opportunity to participate in seven-week sessions on the art of theater in the fall and spring, as well as a weekly summer camp and a 2-day mini-camp in the winter months.

The new Manatee Players Performing Arts Center will allow the Manatee Players to expand its educational offerings to include a Youth Studio/Performance Space, with accommodations for 100 people and a layout conducive to classroom-type instruction, theater arts workshops, and small-scale presentations.  The new facility also will feature a Youth Classroom/Rehearsal Space that will be able to be subdivided into two discrete teaching and rehearsal rooms.

The Manatee Players, in addition to on-site theater performances and educational opportunities, also offers touring musical revues.  Show packages, which start at $500, include a fully-costumed professional performance staff and a complete sound system.  Current musical revues that can be taken on the road are "An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein," "Review! Revue!," "Riverfront Christmas," and "Dickens Christmas Carolers." 

The Manatee Players offers rentals of its outstanding collection of costumes, props, and sets.  The theater and lobby area can also be reserved for private functions.  More information on rentals and reservations is available by telephoning (941) 748-0111.